


I dig you

by lifeisgay



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Porn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Disaster Lesbians, Drunk Adora (She-Ra), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Injury Recovery, Jealousy, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Masturbation, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, POV Alternating, Porn With Plot, Praise Kink, Safewords, Slow-ish burn, Smut, Strap-Ons, Switching, Useless Lesbians, Vaginal Fingering, Volleyball, and they were ROOMMATES, cat still cat, character work disguised as smut, ex-teammates to lovers, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 53,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeisgay/pseuds/lifeisgay
Summary: Former teammates become arch-rivals when Catra and Adora enter the collegiate volleyball scene at their respective universities.--“You need to leave,” Adora mutters.“What? It’s not like I’m going to see anything I haven’t seen before,” Catra teases, her arms folded across her chest while her tail lashes behind her, side to side.“Fine,” Adora grunts, tugging off her jersey, “but only if we can talk about what happened at semi-finals.” That memory seems to slow Catra down, and Adora finally feels like she has the upper hand in the conversation as Catra’s tail stops swaying, lowering timidly behind her. Stripping off her sports bra and the final layers of her clothing, she can’t help but notice how Catra is staring off into some lockers.“You already said everything you needed to say."
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 233
Kudos: 645





	1. ex-teammates

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to the volleyball AU!
> 
> you do not need to understand volleyball to enjoy this one  
> i would not recommend this fic if you are uncomfortable with smut because there will be many sexually charged moments/smut scenes that are intertwined with the plot
> 
> if you are someone who likes re-readability, this fic is for you  
> this one is fairly angsty for a sports AU... but it will 100% have a happy, soft ending for these lesbians

#### Adora (Now): September, Freshman year at Bright Moon College

There are two games currently at play: one on the court and another inside Adora’s head, where Catra tortures her with an intense session of mental gymnastics. 

_Don’t give in._

Adora pulls up her jersey by its collar to wipe away a bead of sweat making its way down her forehead, straining to avoid eye contact with her ex-teammate’s gaze. While her muscles should be aching after playing overtime into the fifth game of the match, her competitive instincts kick in to increase her focus. Well they _should_ be increasing her focus at least, but a smirk from the other side of the net is finally knocking down the last of her walls.

“Oh, _Adora,”_ Catra teases, hooking her finger around a loop of the net. 

From the corner of her eye, Adora notices Catra pull her right foot into a quad stretch, relaxed and cocky as ever. Adora’s eyes flick over to Catra’s thighs, glowing with sweat and slightly bulging from the stretch and spandex, until the voice of her own teammate stirs her. 

“She’s just trying to get in your head, Adora,” Glimmer says, leaning closer to Adora. “We can still win this.” 

Scorpia had just drilled a spike into the deep left corner, earning Fright Zone University a one point lead against Bright Moon College. When FZU scored that point, it also became Catra’s turn to serve in the rotation. Even as a freshman, Catra had quickly proven herself to be FZU’s strongest server on the team. If there was a vulnerability in the defense of another team, Catra could spot it and attack it with ruthless aggression and careful precision.

Despite every voice in her head telling her to ignore Catra, that interacting with Catra could break her focus when she needs it most, Adora gives in to meet those heterochromatic eyes. 

“Cut it out,” Adora snaps as her heart pounds in her chest. 

“Cut what out?” Catra lets out a comfortable groan as she switches to stretch her other quad. Her chest slightly puffs out, stretching out a dark red #69 on the front of her black FZU jersey. 

_How is that even allowed??_

“You know what you’re doing, Catra, ” Adora huffs, her face flushing an even darker shade of red, with heat from both the game and Catra’s endless teasing. Locks of Catra’s short hair, tousled from her ferocity on the court, threaten to shatter Adora’s composure, and she wonders if this new haircut is just another part of Catra’s elaborate plan to ruin her life. 

“Aww,” Catra taunts, leaping to palm the ball the referee tossed over the net, and Adora immediately recognizes a wicked glint in her eyes- she has figured out exactly how to break down her defenses. “It’s just a game, Adora,” Catra says in a low voice, and the words slice into Adora like a knife in her stomach. 

* * *

#### Catra (4 years ago): September, Freshman year at Horde Academy

Climbing up four flights of stairs with a backpack and duffel bag is an easy feat if Catra can at least do it for the memes, but the universe is punishing her today, assigning her to room 419 just to say _fuck you_. Catra’s duffel bag slips off her shoulder as she fumbles for her room key, and she groans to herself. Interacting with strangers and different smells at this new school has overwhelmed her senses, and she wants nothing more than to lock herself inside a box and hide for the rest of the day. 

The lock clicks, and Catra swings open the door to find a blonde girl sitting on the lower bunk dressed in white knee-high socks, black spandex, and a blue hoodie that’s almost as blue as her eyes. 

“Hey, I’m Adora. We-”

“I didn’t realize I had a roommate,” Catra blurts and immediately bites her lip, noticing the other girl recoil slightly at her words _._ “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s been a long day.” Catra sighs as she lowers her backpack onto the floor. “And I’m Catra by the way.” 

“I know.” A pair of soft blue eyes blink back. “Your jerseys were left next to mine when I got here.” Adora gestures to Catra’s volleyball clothes, laid nicely on the otherwise empty desk. 

When Adora rises from the lower bunk, Catra realizes how _tall_ this girl is. “Of course, you’re on the team,” Catra says, rolling her eyes. “I could have figured that out myself if you stood up sooner.” 

“So let me guess, you play Libero?” the girl remarks, angling her chin down to give Catra a look.

“I’m a setter actually,” Catra responds quickly, and it feels like her throat is drying up from all of the salt in the air _._ The longer this girl pauses, the more Catra feels heat welling up in her cheeks.

“A setter, huh?” Adora scratches her head underneath her ponytail and cocks an eyebrow at Catra. “That explains a lot, now that you bring that up.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing.” Adora presses her lips together in a line and curls the corner of her cheek into a smirk. 

Catra _wants_ to say something to knock this girl down a peg, but something about how Adora looks at her with annoyingly soft blue eyes saps the anger from her. She tries anyway. “You don’t have to tell me you’re a hitter because you’re way too full of yourself to be anything else.”

Adora’s eyebrows raise, and eventually they lower as this girl opens her mouth to let out another stupid remark. “Maybe _I’m_ a Libero.”

“I don’t think so, Legs.” 

“And what makes you so sure?” 

“Have you seen yourself?” Catra’s eyes flick down to Adora’s sneakers and back up to the top of her hair poof.

Adora lets out a laugh, and Catra breathes a sigh of relief that this girl doesn’t seem to hate her. Catra watches as Adora hangs up hoodie after hoodie of different colors and fits in her closet, and Catra’s eyes fall on Adora’s gym bag, where there are _even more hoodies_ tucked inside _._ The tall girl turns around to face Catra and blinks at her a few times. “You good?” 

“Oh,” Catra mumbles, her hand runs up to cover her neck as she glances away. _What the fuck, Catra...._ “You have a lot of hoodies,” Catra blurts out, fighting the urge to sink her face into her own hands. _She knows I was staring at her._

“Yeah,” Adora admits, smiling back at Catra. “I guess so.” Adora pulls out a few more hoodies, sticking hangers through them.

“Must be hard to keep track of all of those,” Catra replies, glancing over at the closet full of hoodies and back at Adora.

“They all have different purposes,” Adora says, hanging up one last hoodie, and Catra realizes that Adora has been neatly sorting the hoodies by color to form a gradient. 

_Okay, psychopath._

“I’m sure,” Catra responds. The weight of the day has finally caught up to her, and she wants to close her eyes and sleep until tomorrow. “I think I’m going to take a nap if that’s alright,” Catra mumbles, eyeing the top bunk longingly. 

“Didn’t you see the schedule?” Adora scrunches her eyebrows at Catra. “We have practice in half an hour.” 

“You’re kidding?” Catra’s voice comes out as a whine. 

“C’mon,” Adora goads her with the smuggest grin Catra has ever seen, “we’ll get to see if you’re actually any good at setting. Although you’d probably still make a great Libero.” 

Catra feels her competitive urges ignite once again from Adora’s teasing, and those urges were telling her to _defeat_ this girl, to prove herself. “Yeah,” Catra replies, trying to smooth over the edge in her voice. “We’ll see.” 

***

**

*

a few hours later…

*

**

***

“Catra, _wait!”_

Adora’s voice fades behind her as Catra darts out of the gymnasium, her fight or flight instincts telling her to just _run_. She takes off into the soccer field, which is poorly lit at this time of night. But the realization hits her that this is the one person she can’t run away from, and Catra reluctantly digs her heels into the grass, letting Adora catch up behind her.

The dim lighting of the middle of the soccer field feels safer than campus, away from the harsh glow of the dorms and classrooms. She can hide here if Adora leaves her alone. “What are you doing, Adora? Just leave,” Catra rasps at her, blinking quickly to fight the burning sensation in her eyes. 

“No!” It comes out as a yell, and Adora drops her voice to add, “If you’re going somewhere, I’m coming with you, Catra.”

Catra feels Adora’s hand rest on her shoulder, and she lets out a sigh, turning to face her teammate. “Are you really that stubborn?”

“Yes, I am,” Adora responds quickly, her cheeks glowing pink. “I-I just want to make sure you’re okay after,” she pauses, swallowing, “...after _that_.” 

Catra closes her eyes and takes a few seconds to level her breathing. The hand on her shoulder wanders lower until it rests on her upper back, and before Catra can process anything, she’s been pulled into a tight embrace. Almost involuntarily, Catra lets out a low growl at the feeling of being trapped here, already so overwhelmed by all of the new sensations and encounters she’s had today.

But she feels weirdly safe here, in the middle of a soccer field at night, in the arms of a girl she has just met. Her other senses are dulled out by how _good_ Adora smells… even after two hours of volleyball practice, and Catra can’t help but sink her face deeper into the front of Adora’s blue hoodie. “Thank you,” Catra croaks out, wrapping her arms around Adora, “Are you sure you don’t care that I’m sweaty?”

“Nope,” Adora murmurs, rubbing her hand up and down Catra’s back, and it is the most soothing feeling. 

Catra chuckles through wheezing sobs. The idea confuses Catra that anyone could show her this kind of affection, and subconsciously, she latches on tighter to the back of Adora’s hoodie.

_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIP._

The sound of the tearing hoodie is deafening in the middle of the field. 

“What the fuck, Cat-”

“I’m so-”

“It's fine.”

“-sorry about your hoodie, Adora.” Catra pushes herself from Adora’s hug in a bit of shock, and lowers herself onto the grass, hugging her knees to her chest.

Adora laughs as she sits down cross-legged next to Catra. “I guess it served its purpose,” she says with a shrug, as if she didn’t have a closet full of meticulously-arranged hoodies. There is a moment of silence between them as the breeze passes. “Did you want to talk about anything, Catra?” 

_Where do I fucking start?_

She begins spilling everything to Adora… how Catra left her home life, if you could call it that, to play volleyball at Horde Academy. “Coach Weaver recruited me, scholarship and everything. Otherwise, I could have never left that place,” Catra explains, telling Adora that her last foster mom was going to transfer Catra to a different family after Catra scratched out one of her eyes. 

“You know, I bet she had a dumb face,” Adora says, cracking a smile at her. 

“She _did,”_ Catra laughs sharply for an instant at Adora’s comment, but her face stiffens again as another memory forms a lump in her throat. “The bitch was so eager to sign the paperwork for me to go to school here for four years, so she could still collect government checks and essentially never see me again.”

“I’m really sorry, Catra,” Adora murmurs, and the two sit for a while, letting the cool night air pass over. 

“Things are going to be better here, though,” Catra says, mostly assuring herself. “They have to be… even if Coach Weaver is evidently a nightmare.”

“Fuck that bitch,” Adora agrees, and they both laugh a little in the darkness. “Y’know Coach Weaver recruited me too.” 

Catra scrunches her eyebrows and really _looks_ at this girl again. “So you’re saying you’re not like the rest of the stupid-rich Horde scum at this school?” 

“Well, I-I didn’t mean it like that,” Adora says, smiling at Catra, although a lull in her voice gives away other feelings.

“How did you mean it, then?” Catra asks her honestly. 

“I just meant that,” Adora says and her voice drops even lower, “I also know what it feels like to have nowhere else to go.” She pauses briefly as Catra waits, nodding silently. “Last year, my grandma’s mental health began to uh- well, deteriorate, and I threw myself into sports as a distraction. She’s all I had, so when I started to lose her, I didn’t feel like I had a place to call home anymore.” Her blue eyes stare over Catra’s shoulder, unfocused.

“I’m sorry,” Catra mumbles, and the soft blue eyes flick over to meet hers. “I think I get it, though. Coming here wasn’t exactly a choice for either of us.” Catra swallows, letting her thoughts collect for a moment. “And I guess that’s why I felt so trapped in there during practice, like I needed to escape.” She takes a fistful of grass in her hand and yanks it from the soil. It feels weirdly cathartic to do that, to let the blades of grass slip through her fingers. 

Adora reaches over to place a hand on Catra’s knee. “We’ll stick together, Catra.”

“You promise?” Catra murmurs in a low, scratchy voice. Adora’s fingers tighten their hold on Catra’s knee.

“I promise.”

* * *

#### Adora (Now)

The volleyball sails over the net from Catra’s serve into middle left court, just above Adora’s head.

“I got it!”

“Mine!”

Adora and Perfuma call out simultaneously, the two nearly colliding as Adora backpedals and Perfuma steps forward for the ball.

 _“I said I got it!”_ Adora yells out in a single breath, her forearms connecting with the ball which bounces high into the air on its way to Glimmer.

“Set!” Glimmer shouts, launching the ball back up parallel to the net, in the perfect spot for Adora to spike it hard. 

Adora leaps from her jump approach, her chest soaring over the net as she reaches to spike the ball, when she is face to face with Scorpia, those massive pincers forming an impassable barrier above. Adora’s arm is stretched back, ready to slam the ball into a deep corner, but at the last second, she lightly tips the ball from underneath so it bounces just above Scorpia’s pincers and falls down vertically behind the blocker. 

“I got it!” Entrapta’s voice calls out as she dives from the back row to go after the rapidly falling ball. Her right arm barely connects with the ball, but it’s enough height for Catra to make a set high in the air and on target. Scorpia leaps at the net, and her pincer strikes the ball straight down. It bounces off the court so quickly, well before Adora and Glimmer could reach it, securing the winning point for FZU. 

After five games plus overtime, BMC has lost the first match of the season against their ruthless athletic rivals. Adora ignores every impulse to look at Catra, knowing her ex-teammate is surely drinking in the sight of her dismay at this moment. BMC’s team forms a huddle in the court, and Coach Angella joins them briefly to give a post-game talk. 

Adora’s mind is still swirling in a daze, and she can barely process Coach Angella’s words, but with one last group hug, the team disperses for the evening. Adora can still hear some FZU members lingering in the gymnasium, and she is sure Catra’s eyes are drilling into the back of her head as she walks over to the home-team locker room. 

But before Adora can open the door, Bow and Glimmer catch up to her. “Look, Adora, I know we all wanted to win tonight,” Glimmer begins, wrapping an arm around Adora, “but I’m proud of how we all played together.” 

“And we’ll almost certainly get to play them again in division playoffs,” Bow adds. 

“I just need some time to cool off,” Adora breathes, fantasizing about how good a cold shower would feel on her soon-to-be aching body. 

“I understand, Adora,” Glimmer responds, glancing over at bow. “If you want to hang out later, Bow and I were going to watch- uh - what was it, Bow?” 

_“But I’m a Cheerleader!”_ Bow exclaims, beaming at the two of them. 

Adora snorts loudly, and she feels a bit better with some help from her goofy friends. But the adrenaline high is winding down, and the ache in her muscles creeps up on her again. “I’m a bit exhausted, and I’ve got a bio quiz in the morning. Although, I’m sure you both will have a great time without me,” she replies with a quick glance at Glimmer, whose cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. 

Adora steps into the locker room relieved to find it empty, so she can gather her thoughts in peace. She opens her locker to grab a towel when she hears a squeak from the locker room door swinging open behind her. 

“Hey, Adora,” an unmistakably smug voice rasps behind her. 

“What do you want, Catra?” Heat wells up in Adora’s cheeks and her hand balls into a fist, but she doesn’t turn around to face her ex-teammate. 

Catra doesn’t respond immediately, and Adora's heart pounds in her chest. Adora curses that Catra doesn’t wear shoes, because Catra has snuck up so close, her voice heats the back of Adora’s neck. “I just got the impression you wanted to talk to me,” Catra teases, assuming an innocent tone.

Catra’s relentless torment over the past few hours has finally snapped Adora, who turns around, her face burning red hot. “You _clearly_ got the wrong impression, then,” Adora practically spits in her face. 

“Woah, easy there, tiger,” Catra says, blue and yellow eyes widening for a moment before resuming an intentioned gaze. “Can we be civil?”

“Like you would be civil right now, if that game had ended differently,” Adora scoffs, slamming the locker behind her as she walks over to the showers. She is about to strip off her white and gold BMC jersey before she pauses, gripping the collar of the uniform. “You need to leave,” Adora mutters, her speech soaked in bitterness. 

“What? It’s not like I’m going to see anything I haven’t seen before,” Catra teases, her arms folded across her chest while her tail whips behind her, side to side. 

“Fine,” Adora grunts, tugging off her jersey, “but only if we can talk about what happened at semi-finals.” That memory seems to slow Catra down, and Adora finally feels like she has the upper hand in the conversation as Catra’s tail stops swaying, lowering timidly behind her. Adora kicks off her sneakers and begins pulling down her socks and knee pads. Stripping off her sports bra and the final layers of her clothing, she can’t help but notice how Catra is staring off into some lockers. 

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” Catra insists.

“Really, Catra?” Even though Adora is the one exposed right now, she gets the sense that Catra feels even more vulnerable. But in this moment, Catra’s silence stings worse than anything she had said on the court. 

“You already said everything you needed to say,” Catra grumbles thickly, still refusing to look at Adora. “And I get that you’re still pissed we lost the championships to Salineas High but-”

“I’m not referring to that,” Adora interrupts, stepping underneath the frigid water. Years of cold showers let her body adjust to the temperature fairly quickly. “I meant after-”

“Just shut up!” Catra snarls, finally giving up her avoidance to meet Adora’s eyes. “I told you I don’t want to talk about semi-finals.”

“Well, it hurt like shit that you ignored me all summer, Catra. And now, you’re obviously here just to rub your victory in my face.” 

“That isn’t why I’m here, Adora,” says Catra, her voice edging with frustration. 

“So what is it, then?” scoffs Adora. 

“Well, I came here to… you know what— _never mind_. I don’t even know why I’m still here anyway.” Catra looks Adora up and down before turning away again. 

“Are you here because you miss me?” Adora asks innocently enough, unsure if she’s trying to coax a reaction out of Catra or if she actually wants an answer. 

“Are you kidding? I don’t miss you,” Catra answers with a growl, helping Adora to realize that she didn’t actually want an answer to that question. 

Adora is glad the shower can mask hot, angry tears when they start falling. “Sure you don’t, why else are you still here? I didn’t realize you wanted it so badly,” Adora blurts in a taunt colder than the water beating down on her, and watching the smirk on Catra’s face sink into a sulking, calloused expression, she knows that was _not_ the right thing to say.

“Fuck you, Adora,” Catra mumbles hoarsely, hurrying out of the locker room, before Adora has a chance to say anything else to her. 

Adora’s muscles would feel better tomorrow, certainly, but no amount of cold water could prevent the ache welling in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! ch1 is a lot of planting seeds, and i cant wait for y'all to see the magnificent, messy forest this turns into :) 
> 
> this info doesn't matter for story enjoyment purposes, but this is kind of how i see the team rosters, mainly interesting for people who really dig (hehe) volleyball:
> 
>  **Bright Moon College  
> **  
>  Adora: Hitter  
> Glimmer: Setter  
> Bow: Center Blocker/Defensive Specialist  
> Mermista: Defensive Specialist/Libero/Setter  
> Sea Hawk: Center Blocker/Cheerleader  
> Perfuma: Hitter/Setter
> 
>  **Fright Zone University  
> **  
>  Catra: Setter  
> Scorpia: Center Blocker/Hitter  
> Entrapta: Setter/Defensive Specialist  
> Lonnie: Defensive Specialist/Libero  
> Rogelio: Center Blocker/Hitter  
> Kyle: Defensive Specialist/Left Bench


	2. anatomy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all enjoy reading about these angsty jocks as much as I enjoy writing about them
> 
> Warning: self-harm  
> might be sensitive for some readers see endnotes for more information if needed

#### Catra (Now): Fright Zone University

“Catra! Wake up, Catra!” A haze of red and gray comes into focus as Catra opens her eyes to a beaming Scorpia looming above her, as she did every Tuesday morning.

“What the fuck, Scorpia? I thought I asked you to stay out of my room.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Wildcat, but you know what day it is… guess what day it is?”

“Leg day,” Catra recites, unamused.

“Leg day! Y-yes, it’s leg day,” Scorpia says it just a moment after Catra, chuckling, “and I couldn’t be happier about it, but I think you should know there’s a slight- uh, _situation.”_

“What is it, then?” Catra asks, rolling onto her side to face the wall. Her room is bright with the glow of Scorpia’s joy, preventing Catra from sulking in her own darkness like she prefers to do most mornings. 

“Well, our weight room is undergoing maintenance today, so Coach asked us to train at Bright Moon this morning... with their co-ed team.”

“You’re fucking kidding,” Catra grumbles, lifting the pillow from beside her and smothering her face with it. “I’d rather die,” she groans, muffled by the pillow.

“There’s no need to be so _dramatic_ , Wildcat,” Scorpia says as she walks to the door. “C’mon, you know I can’t be late. I have to time my protein intake very carefully,” she adds, before shutting the door behind herself.

Catra pulls the pillow down from her face and runs her fingers through tufts of her short hair, and she still isn’t used to how different it feels. One of the reasons why she cut her hair was to throw off Adora during their first match as rivals last week. By how slim FZU had won the match, maybe Catra had narrowly earned her team’s victory with a simple haircut. Even though she loves how her new hair feels, it would have been worth everything just to win against Adora.

_Adora._

Catra’s face burns when she recalls the humiliating conversation she had with Adora in the locker room after the game. Despite what actually happened by the showers, Catra felt like _she_ was the one standing there naked and defeated in front of Adora. She didn’t think Adora had it in her to bring up something like that, not even after what Catra had said earlier on the court. 

_Maybe that’s Adora’s way of taking control of the situation?_

Catra hurls her pillow across the room, hitting the wall with a thud, and she lurches out of bed with a new determination. 

_I will make her lose control._

* * *

#### Adora: October, Sophomore Year at Horde Academy

On a Thursday at 4:20 P.M, Adora always knows where she can find Catra. The rush of air conditioning hits Adora as she swings open the door to the Horde Library. Adora takes a hard left up a dodgy flight of stairs where behind a few rows of dusty bookshelves, Catra sits in a study alcove, books and notes strewn about the desk table. 

“Hey, Catra,” Adora says slightly above a whisper, taking a seat in an empty chair across from Catra.

“Following me around again, Adora?” Catra teases, still writing out a few notes. Her eyes flick over to Adora’s, feeling playful. “What is it this time?”

“I-I was hoping you would want to study with me for Physiology tomorrow,” Adora asks, pulling out a study guide from her folder. 

“Let me see that,” Catra says, snatching the paper from Adora’s hand, and her eyes go wide as she scans the contents of the guide. “Wait, Adora, you seriously don’t know any of this?” Catra asks her, and Adora’s cheeks suddenly feel a lot hotter.

“Look I-”

“This stuff is Sex Ed 101, Adora,” Catra says, cutting Adora off.

“Are you going to make fun of me or help me?” Adora asks, her voice quavering despite her best efforts to suppress it. Catra always gives her a hard time whenever she can, but this time Adora feels especially uneasy, her face getting hotter every second Catra holds her gaze, smirking at her.

“I’ll help you, dummy,” Catra replies after what feels like forever to Adora.

“You know you’re such a pain, Catra,” Adora sighs.

“Back at you,” Catra says quickly, almost automatically, to the point where Adora tries to come up with a clever quip to respond, but she bites her lip instead. Catra’s eyes flick back to the study guide, and with a smirk she jokes, “I think it’s time I taught you a lesson in Anatomy, Adora.”

 _“Catra,"_ Adora whines, sinking her face in her hands. “Please…don’t make this any harder.”

“Okay… okay.”

The sound of ripping paper startles Adora, who pulls her face out of her hands. “Catra!” Adora whispers in a scream. “What are you doing?!”

“You don’t need this,” Catra says, crumpling up the halves of the study guide. “Come here,” she directs Adora, pulling out the chair beside her. “We’re going on the internet.” 

Browsing the internet with Catra simultaneously terrifies and excites Adora. She swallows, taking the seat next to Catra, who opens an incognito window on her laptop. “Are you seriously searching for porn right now?” Adora asks, genuinely unsure of what Catra is capable of at this moment. 

“No, you moron,” Catra groans, shaking her head. When Catra pulls up a very explicit diagram, Adora now realizes why Catra would have not wanted this to show up in her search history later. “Do you see that?” 

“I know what a vagina looks like, Catra.”

“That’s not what- okay. Do you want my help or not?” she asks in a tense whisper.

“Yes,” Adora sighs. 

“Let’s try something else first.” Catra turns from her computer screen to face Adora, a slight smirk curling from her mouth. “What about the sexual response cycle?” she asks casually, blinking at Adora with her mismatched eyes. “Do you know the four phases associated with it?” 

Adora shakes her head. Catra is certainly more resourceful than she is when it comes to stuff like this, and that’s one of the reasons why Adora felt comfortable to ask Catra for help. And yet, Adora still can’t ignore a nervous tremble in her stomach as Catra continues.

“Well, the four phases of the sexual response cycle are desire, arousal, orgasm, and reproduction,” Catra informs her. 

Adora swallows hard but her throat is so dry, she erupts into a coughing fit. 

“Geez, you okay Adora?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” Adora splutters, clearing her throat. “You can continue.” 

“Okay, then,” Catra says, lowering her voice, “phase one, or desire occurs as muscle tension increases, heart rate and breathing accelerate, skin becomes flush, red…” Catra’s voice trails off as her eyes flick across Adora’s face before she continues, “blood flow increases, especially to the clitorus and labia minora, or erection, depending on the parts you have. Vaginal lubrication begins and breast tissue swells, nipples harden...”

“I-I’m gonna take some notes,” Adora says, since she no longer feels she can look Catra in the eyes while Catra explains this to her.

“Anyway,” Catra continues, “phase two, arousal, is fairly similar… just more intense. So breathing, heart rate, and muscle tension still increase, along with blood flow, making the clitorus highly sensitive, sometimes even painful…” 

Adora frantically takes notes, while Catra watches, waiting for her to finish writing.

“Phase three would be orgasm, or climax-”

“Uh, Catra?” Adora interrupts nervously, but her breath hitches when she finds herself unsure if she really wants to ask Catra her question. 

“Yes?” 

Adora turns to face Catra, who offers a slight smile in light of the situation. Catra probably knows this topic is uncomfortable for Adora to talk about, and Adora is thankful Catra refrains from teasing her about it right now. Silently pondering, Adora waits long enough for Catra to break the silence on her own.

“Listen,” Catra says, pulling up a few more articles and diagrams, even texting some of them to Adora right in front of her, “This isn’t just for educational purposes by the way. It’s useful for more than just school, _you know?”_ The last two words come out as a question, and as hard as Catra is to read sometimes, Adora realizes what Catra is getting at. 

“Well I-I mean I’ve tried before on my own, of course, but I could never, uh… reach…” Adora blurts before Catra puts an end to her miserable rambling.

“Got it,” Catra replies without even blinking. “Because…” Her blue and yellow eyes fixed to her computer screen, Catra pauses biting her lip before she turns to face Adora. “How can you ever expect to get anyone else off if you can’t even do it to yourself?” 

Adora’s brain short-circuits for a moment before she is able to formulate a coherent thought, and she stands up suddenly from her seat, quickly packing her belongings away. “Yeah... that’s fair,” Adora mumbles weakly. “I gotta go… _now.”_ It comes out scratchy, and Adora clears her throat. “I- uh, I’ll see you later, yes.” Adora is already turning a corner when she rasps, “See you later, Catra...”

“See you at practice, Adora,” Catra calls out hoarsely, her voice fading as Adora hurries down the stairs.

* * *

#### Catra (Now)

Normally, Catra throws on whatever she feels like wearing for the day, but she has carefully selected an outfit that is sure to get a rise from Adora. She struts into the Bright Moon weight room wearing her old black and red Horde Academy practice jersey cut into a crop top, her favorite pair of spandex, black knee high socks, and lifting shoes. The shoes are a necessary evil, required by the weight room rules.

Closely behind Catra, her other teammates trickle into the gym. 

“Oh my gosh, that is the most beautiful squat rack I have _ever_ seen,” Scorpia cries out, beaming with joy, eyes twinkling as she takes in the sight of the clean, upscale Bright Moon facilities. Before Catra can tell her to lay low, Scorpia runs over to a vacant squat rack, next to another rack in the gym, currently occupied by Adora and her stupid buff friends.

_Adora._

Catra suppresses a growl as she makes her way over to the squat rack Scorpia claimed for them. Even though Catra avoids looking at Adora as she walks by, she can feel the weight of Adora’s eyes on her, possibly lingering for a bit too long. 

While Scorpia is pinching some plates to load the bar, Catra notices Adora also adds extra weight to her own barbell. _Fucking himbo._ Her ex-teammate is dressed in a red, sleeveless hoodie and gray joggers. In high school, Adora spent significantly more time in the weight room than the rest of the academy’s team, and now she seems even more comfortable showing off her results.

In fact, Catra thinks Adora has filled out her physique noticeably more since last spring. Adora loads another plate onto the barbell, and bright blue eyes meet Catra before she is able to look away.

“Hey, Catra,” Adora says with a smile, walking out from behind the rack. “Glad you could make it to train with us today.” 

_Like hell you are._

“That makes one of us,” Catra replies, coldly. “I’m here because I have to be, so don’t overthink it.” When Adora’s expression stiffens, Catra knows her words meant something to Adora, that they hurt. 

Adora’s pink-haired teammate pipes in when Adora stands there silently. “Fuck off, Catra,” Glimmer scoffs. “Adora doesn’t deserve any more of your bullshit attitude.”

Catra gasps, and it slowly turns into a wheezing, high-pitched laugh. “Any more of- of _my_ bullshit attitude? Listen, Sparkles-”

“Okay… friends. I don’t like to see everyone fighting!” Bow intervenes. “We’re here to lift weights. Now why don’t we call a truce and move on? _”_

Catra scowls and crosses her arms. “My beef is with Adora, not you two.” 

Adora sighs behind him. “She’s right, both of you,” Adora says, stepping forward to talk to her friends. “We need to settle this ourselves.” Adora takes Catra by the hand, pulling Catra away from the squat racks. 

“What the fuck, Adora? Where are you taking me?” Catra asks, while Adora leads her through a hallway to an empty, smaller room with padded floors and a few punching bags dangling from the ceiling. 

“Somewhere we can talk, Catra,” Adora replies, closing the door behind the two of them.

“I don’t have anything to say to you. Now _let go_ ,” Catra growls, shaking her hand out of Adora’s grasp. She is already reaching for the door handle when Adora speaks up. 

“What if we fight instead?” Adora stares at her for a moment, her eyes wandering across Catra’s face, waiting for her to respond. “Like we used to,” Adora adds casually with a meek smile, as if she’s not twisting the knife she left in Catra’s stomach by bringing up old memories. 

Kick-boxing was a fun phase they had explored in high school for a few months, but Catra hadn’t sparred with Adora since her injury. Even though that injury has since healed, her personal wounds with Adora were another matter. Except this morning, Catra rose out of bed with a purpose to defeat Adora, and she was going to see it through, even if it meant punching Adora in the face. 

Now, the more Catra thinks about it, punching Adora in the face doesn’t sound so bad. “Fine,” Catra grunts, and she is met with an even wider grin from her former teammate. “But if you don’t wipe that look off your face, I’m going to do it for you.” 

“Deal,” Adora says, shuffling through some equipment. “Gloves or no gloves?” Adora asks her.

“Gloves,” Catra responds quickly, and Adora almost seems surprised to hear her say that. “So I can hit you harder, idiot.” 

“Right,” Adora says, tossing the smaller pair of gloves to Catra.

Gloving up Catra asks, “Mercy to stop?”

“Mercy, it is.” Adora extends her gloved hands out for Catra to meet them with her own pair of gloves. 

The two pull away from this opening gesture, gearing into defensive stances. The trick to fighting Adora, Catra knows, is to dodge every swing Adora throws at her. Whenever Adora lands a blow, Catra can only take so much of that brutish strength before she has to tap out.

Adora takes a swing next to her face, but Catra sweeps to her left, dodging Adora’s attack, and she lands two jabs on Adora’s jaw while Adora is still vulnerable from lowering her gloves. The two begin circling around again, when Adora steps forward, launching a gloved fist near Catra’s ear, Catra side-steps to make another counterattack, a swift hook that lands squarely on Adora’s mouth.

“You’re going to taste that one tomorrow, princess,” Catra taunts, as they circle about each other once more. Adora’s expression seems to have softened for a moment. A necessary part of any game versus Adora is getting inside her head, destroying her focus little by little. With Adora’s walls breaking down, Catra is already leading on the offense, circling around Adora, applying pressure…

Adora grunts back, before entering what Catra knows to be her kick approach. Catra lunges away before Adora’s foot can connect with her waist, dropping into a somersault then leaping back up again in a single, controlled movement. As they circle again, Adora seems to be slowing down. Catra fakes a left hook before driving her other fist into Adora’s stomach, watching Adora stumble back as the hit lands. 

“You still aren’t done yet?” Catra teases while Adora heaves a few breaths before raising her gloves to defend again. 

“No,” the other girl groans hoarsely. Adora stares down Catra with a tremble in those blue eyes, and Catra knows she needs to end this soon.

With a sweeping kick, Catra’s foot strikes behind Adora’s knee, buckling Adora’s leg underneath her and sending her to the ground. Despite being sprawled across the floor on her back, Adora still doesn’t call out mercy.

“Get up or give up, Adora,” Catra growls at Adora, but it comes out almost as a pleading whine. “Why are you like this? Do you seriously think letting me kick the shit out of you is going to help with-” Catra hesitates for a moment, deciding if she’s saying the right thing before lowering her voice, “with _us?”_

Signs of life reappear in Adora as her eyes flicker, but she still doesn’t make an attempt to lift herself from the padded floor. “I can still fight... _fight me,”_ Adora says weakly, her voice cracking with hurt.

Catra sighs into her gloved hands, still trembling with adrenaline. “Mercy,” she whispers. 

Adora leans forward slowly from the floor, gritting her teeth. “I’m sorry, Catra…”

“Why would you do this? What made you think this was a good idea?” Catra breathes in exasperation.

“Because if you wouldn’t agree to talk to me, I thought you would at least want to fight, like we used to-”

“Not like this,” Catra groans, tugging off her gloves. “You clearly weren’t trying.” She moves deliberately, carefully lowering herself next to Adora on the padded floor, so that she can face the other girl. “Let me help you.” Catra holds out her hands, helping Adora tug off her own pair of gloves.

Adora sits there silently, offering a weak smile. “I really thought this would help you, uh... to let off steam... on me.” 

“You’re a fucking idiot, Adora,” Catra sighs, and she can’t help but smile back at her dumb ex-teammate, who is looking back at Catra with gentle blue eyes that held a tenderness Catra didn’t deserve right now. 

Normally Adora sits with better posture, but Catra knows that Adora is slouching right now because she is in pain. A small bruise is beginning to darken by Adora’s mouth, and Catra slowly reaches for her face, gauging Adora’s reaction as the other girl blinks slowly at her. She cups Adora’s cheek with her left hand, lightly drawing her thumb over Adora’s bottom lip, where it has darkened. Adora winces sharply at her touch, and Catra pulls her hand away just as quickly, placing it back into her own lap. Her face feels hotter, probably from nerves. “We should get some ice on that before it gets swollen.”

“Y-yeah, I guess so,” Adora mumbles, crinkling her eyebrows at her forehead. “Can we still talk?”

“No,” Catra blurts, before she can even process her own words. A pair of blue eyes stares over her shoulder distantly, drilling a hole into the wall behind her. “Not _now,”_ Catra offers, and it’s like a light turns on in Adora’s eyes, “because we need to help you first.”

Catra rises and extends her hand down to Adora, who uses Catra’s help to pull herself up. They stand there awkwardly facing each other, and Catra eventually gives Adora a questioning look, because it seems like Adora has been holding in her breath.

“I’m sorry that I left,” Adora finally blurts. “We were supposed to be teammates, and I-”

“That doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t matter at all, actually,” Catra corrects her, crossing her arms. Adrenaline is slowly leaving her body, and she feels her chest heaving and eyes burning. “And I told you, we aren’t talking about this now.” 

“Right,” Adora says with a trembling sigh. “I should text Bow and Glimmer to let them know where I’ll be.”

“Take care of yourself,” Catra says, taking a few steps back, increasing the distance between them as she makes her way to the room’s exit. She turns around, no longer able to make eye contact with her shaken ex-teammate as she wraps her fingers around the door handle. “Bye, Adora.”

Leaving the boxing room to meet up with Scorpia, Catra spies Bright Moon’s other outside hitter wrapping her fingers around Scorpia’s bicep. Catra’s lip curls into a snarl as she approaches the two. “What is _she_ doing here?” 

“Uhh…” Scorpia’s voice lulls before she is interrupted.

“You know I’m detecting some negative energy here, so I think that is a good sign for me to leave. Guess I’ll see you later, Scorpia?” The tall girl waves as she heads out to meet with her other teammates.

“You bet!” Scorpia calls after her, watching the hitter depart, until it is just her and Catra by the squat racks.

“What was that all about?” Catra asks, her voice edging in agitation.

“Well you left, and I needed a gym buddy to stay motivated. Leg day is just so important to me, and Perfuma offered to help me push through my reps and then we talked for a while... and she gave me her number-”

“So you’ve just been flirting with her this whole time?” Catra interjects, and she can feel heat rising to her neck.

Scorpia lets out a nervous laugh. “Isn’t that what you were doing with Adora?”

“That’s not- oh my _god_ ,” Catra snarls, and the heat has risen to her cheeks now. “You don’t get it at all, Scorpia. She’s my _enemy._ ”

“I-I know you’re already mad, so I may as well tell you this now…” Scorpia trails off, hearing the low growl rising in Catra’s throat. “But I-uh, I kind of... sort of… _maybe_ invited Bright Moon’s team to a party at our apartmentthisweekend,” she says so quickly, the last few words come out in a jumbled mess. 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding,” Catra groans, dropping her head.

“I-I panicked okay? I wanted to see Perfuma again, but I wasn’t sure if she would agree to go on a d-date with me and this seemed like a good idea… to bond with our rival team for the sake of friendship…”

Catra shakes her head, wheezing out a pained laugh. “Nothing about this is a good idea.”

Scorpia pauses for a moment before deciding to ask, “So where’s Adora?”

Catra sighs. She doesn’t have the heart to tell Scorpia that Adora had let Catra use her as a punching bag. That Adora’s overbearing savior complex got in the way of a fair fight between the two of them. Sharing any more information would reveal too much about her history with Adora, a distant ache in her chest that panged whenever Catra let her mind wander too much, remember too much. “Glimmer and Bow are taking her to the wellness center here. She’ll be fine,” Catra responds after some time. 

“What happened in there, Catra?” Scorpia’s face droops, a wave of concern washing over her previous expression.

“Adora is a shit fighter,” she lies between closed teeth. “Too cocky for her own good.” Catra exhales, feeling her heart pound in her chest a little bit harder.

It would be easier to forget about Adora, who somehow managed to hurt Catra even when she was the one delivering the blows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers below  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> Warning explanation: While Adora and Catra box each other, Adora willingly lets Catra hit her beyond a comfortable level of pain, without fighting back or declaring "mercy" to end the fight.
> 
> so there's a lot to unpack here, but we'll get there.


	3. closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra wants to push Adora away, and Adora wants closure. 
> 
> Neither is good at follow through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: alcohol and weed
> 
> all characters are 19+, i will not be depicting any sex while intoxicated at any point during this fic

#### Adora: Now, Bright Moon College

Adora splashes cold water on her face, and the sensation takes her back to her conversation with Catra by the showers after their first game as rivals. 

_I didn't realize you wanted it so badly._

What had possessed Adora to stoop to that level? It was the lowest blow she could deliver, for Adora to give in to her anger to say _that_ of all things. Maybe Adora wanted Catra to remember how she hurt her, weaponizing the same language against her. In the heat of the moment it slipped out because Adora had reached her limit of Catra’s teasing and finally snapped. 

Since Catra refused to talk with her after the game, Adora felt she deserved to give Catra some sort of release for it all, to let Catra take out her frustrations at Adora’s expense. Another plan that backfired horribly… Adora feels hollow now, except for the heavy weight of guilt lying in the pit of her stomach.

Adora leans up from the sink, looking at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out if this outfit is even her style. She has come to the realization that her fashion sense is evidently a direct reflection of her mood, because she has picked out a black hoodie along with a pair of black jeans and black sneakers to wear to the party tonight. She tugs on her ponytail, fastening it more tightly, as if it will give her a burst of energy, but it doesn’t.

Adora trudges out of the bathroom, entering the living room to greet her roommate snuggling her _not-boyfriend_ on their couch.

“You okay, Adora?” Glimmer asks, peeling her eyes from the TV, a wash of concern taking over her expression.

“No,” Adora sighs slowly, “what gave it away?” 

“Well, you look like a jock trying to fit in at a My Chemical Romance concert,” Glimmer teases, trying to lighten Adora’s spirits.

Adora lets out a weak chuckle. “I guess goth is like, my new thing,” she jokes, making her way over to the kitchen. She opens the top cupboard to retrieve her vegan protein powder, a banana, and almond milk.

“You’re going to Scorpia’s party later with us, right?” Bow asks from across the living room, his voice a little lower, less gleeful than his normal demeanor. He scrunches his eyebrows and sits up straighter on the couch. “We’re getting a bit concerned that all you’ve done since we went to the gym on Tuesday is- well... drink protein shakes and hide in your room.” 

“If you have something you need to share with us, Adora, we’re here to listen because we love you, and we _care,”_ Glimmer adds, rising from the couch to enter the kitchen.

“I-I don’t even know where to start,” Adora mumbles, loading her ingredients into the blender. 

“Adora, you were hurt so badly you skipped back and biceps day the next morning,” Glimmer says, crossing her arms.

Adora had indeed skipped her favorite lift day of the week, but not because of the pain- not the aches and bruises at least, but the internal warfare in her head afterward kept her up that night unable to function the next morning.

“I’m okay now, I promise… all healed,” Adora insists, plunking a few ice cubes into the blender, before covering the lid. 

“May as well get this out in the open, so do you have a thing for Catra?” Glimmer asks boldly, pressing her lips together as her eyes flick across Adora’s face. 

_VVVRRRRRRRRRR_

Adora holds down the blend button, shrugging and cracking an awkward smile at Glimmer, who sinks her face into her hands. _“Sorry,”_ Adora mouths, determined to blend this smoothie until a faint smell of burning plastic comes off the machine.

“Done yet?” Glimmer sighs impatiently, rolling her eyes.

“Y-yes,” Adora replies, pouring out her smoothie into a large glass, “and uh… it’s complicated.” 

“How so?” Glimmer tries to pry more information from her.

Adora takes a few gulps of her smoothie. “Well, Catra hates me now, and it really… it hurts to be honest, after everything we’ve been through.” Adora pauses trying to think of when she really knew that gut feeling, that urge that she had suppressed for so long. Sure, she definitely knew her feelings for Catra their senior year, but retrospectively she realized the feeling she had was there for much longer, she just became more _aware_ of it.

Something about how Catra opened up to her their first night at the academy, in the middle of a soccer field, brings a warmth to Adora’s chest every time she recalls the memory. Even though Catra had ripped Adora’s blue hoodie, her _meeting new people_ hoodie, the purpose she had assigned to it, Adora couldn’t be mad or even a little bit upset at Catra, as protective as she was over her extensive hoodie collection. Adora took it as a sign from the universe, signalling that she had already met everyone she needed to meet. 

“Come with us to the party tonight… you should work this out with her, Adora,” Glimmer says, “Even if you can’t fix whatever it was, it’s closure.”

_Closure_. Something about this word terrifies Adora, the idea that any shred of hope she has is finally burned, ripped from her, gone for good. She imagines Catra laughing in her face, teasing Adora for her feelings before rejecting her entirely. Maybe if Catra is feeling nice, she will let her down easy. Adora braces herself for it.

* * *

#### Catra: March, Junior Year at Horde Academy

On the court, Catra and Adora operate like a well-oiled machine, an unstoppable setter-hitter duo. With their combined strength, Horde Academy easily leads the match against Dryl, having already won the first two games and holding a strong lead in the third game. 

Dryl’s outside hitter spikes hard along the left boundary line, but Lonnie recovers it, sending a clean bump to Catra, who backsets for Adora to hit on the right side. When Adora jumps in the air, she is up against Dryl’s center blocker, a tall, muscular brunette who has been putting defensive pressure on Adora all game. Adora spikes the ball hard, and it ricochets off the brunette’s fingers, careening out of bounds and securing another point for Horde Academy. 

At this rate, it does not take long for Horde Academy to completely wipe the floor with what is left of Dryl’s team. 

“Good game today,” Catra sighs, placing a hand on Adora’s shoulder. 

“Oh definitely,” Adora says, still catching her breath. She leans closer to Catra, lowering her voice, “Although, I think that Dryl center wants to kill me. She’s been giving me weird looks all game.” 

“Right,” Catra says, using every ounce of self-restraint she has left to not roll her eyes. 

_Is Adora actually that oblivious?_

“Catra,” Coach Weaver interrupts their conversation, looming over them. “I would like to speak with you…and Adora, you played very well today, why don’t you get going, now?”

Catra gives a look to Adora who frowns and walks away to sit on the team bench. 

“To say the least,” Coach Weaver drawls, “I was disappointed in your performance today.” 

Weaver’s tirades are nothing new to Catra. She zones out, gazing over Coach Weaver’s shoulder at Adora, who sits on the team bench chugging water, when the center blocker from Dryl sits down right next to Adora. 

“If it wasn’t for your ability to work so well with Adora, I’d have kicked you off the team long ago…”

“I understand, Coach,” Catra recites the phrase she has learned to keep Weaver off her back. Although, Catra can barely register what Coach Weaver is saying because now the muscular brunette has her hand on Adora’s shoulder, and Catra can’t even contain the growl rising in her chest.

“You will be better… your serve is weak, Catra. I will not let your weaknesses cost us victory down the line.”

“Yes, Coach Weaver,” Catra replies, and she feels so heavy now, each breath a strenuous chore. Adora is smiling and laughing with the tall, muscular athlete from Dryl, whose hand wanders now to Adora’s back. 

Coach Weaver takes hold of Catra’s arm, gripping tightly, another intimidation tactic she relies on to direct the volleyball team at Horde Academy. To be fair, Horde Academy has been winning the vast majority of their games the past few years, and Coach Weaver does not shy from taking credit. She is always eager to accept all praise for the academy’s success yet so willing to blame the athletes on her team the occasional times they do lose a match.

“I expect improvements on your end, or else I will have to take matters into my own hands,” Coach Weaver mutters, releasing her grip on Catra’s arm before slithering away.

Catra lets out a breath when she sees Adora on the bench by herself, the Dryl center out of sight. As she walks over, Catra offers a meek smile. “Hey, Adora,” Catra mumbles, taking a seat next to Adora, who already wraps an arm around Catra. 

“I’m sorry she’s so awful,” Adora murmurs, rubbing Catra’s back. 

Catra wants to sink into Adora’s shoulder, but she pulls out of Adora’s embrace, the tension in her chest burning. “So what did that girl want with you anyway? She seemed uh, friendly,” Catra says, trying to mask the bitterness in her voice.

“Oh-uh,” Adora blurts, her cheeks glowing red, “she kind of asked if I wanted to get coffee with her sometime…”

Catra feels a sharp pang in her chest, and she fights hard to suppress the growl in her throat. If Adora starts dating someone, she would have less time for _them_. The idea sends Catra spiraling.

“What did you say?” Catra asks, and she can feel her eyes burning while she braces herself for Adora’s answer.

“Well, I-I told her that I don’t like coffee, and she suggested maybe we could go to the gym together instead because I look like I do that a lot...”

“And?” Catra says impatiently, trying to get a straight answer from Adora. 

“I said that I’m not interested in that...a relationship. I mean because I-I’ve got too much going on with school and sports… I need to focus on myself,” Adora chuckles and looks down in her lap.

Catra’s chest feels lighter as she lets out a sigh. She contemplates for a moment before she asks, “Do you find her attractive?” The Dryl center is by all accounts beautiful... tall, muscular, warm-skinned brunette with hair tied up in a waist-length braid and swept bangs. She could be anyone’s type, but Catra isn’t sure if Adora even has a type.

Adora seems to be putting her singular brain cell to work, biting her lip while she ponders the question, but her face lights up as she smirks at Catra. “I’ll answer that question if you do too,” she teases, cocking an eyebrow.

Catra feels her face heat up quickly. “Fine, I’ll drop it,” she concedes, looking away while Adora chuckles. 

_Well played, Adora._

* * *

#### Adora (Now)

Adora regrets that she chose Scorpia to be her teammate in beer pong, she thinks as she downs another gulp of beer from her solo cup. Since Glimmer landed the first score in Adora’s cup, Adora has been off her game. Pincers don’t exactly lend themselves well to beer pong either, prone to generating messes. Every time Bow and Glimmer sink another ping pong ball into one of their cups, Adora has to be the one to retrieve it on Scorpia’s behalf, they learn roughly five torn up cups and a quart of spilled beer later. 

At this point, Adora thinks losing this game of beer pong will be faster than winning, so that she can finally talk to Catra, who has been avoiding Adora since the start of the party. Adora can’t resist the temptation to look over her shoulder again at Catra, sitting on the couch, whispering something to Perfuma, who chuckles at Catra’s joke or whatever she says to her. Catra looks so cute wearing that oversized red and black flannel shirt Adora loves. 

_The game!_ Beer pong...

“Oh man, this game is difficult,” Scorpia says through heavy panting breath, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. “You guys make this game look easy... well not you, Adora… but Bow and Glimmer, _wow_.”

“Hey!” Adora says with a stern look at Scorpia before sticking out her tongue in defiance. “Glimmer,” Adora drawls, “you guyss... you have to be cheating. C’mon...” Adora clumsily reaches into a cup to pull out a ping pong ball and tosses it back to Bow. 

“Nope,” Bow pipes in, the pinnacle of sobriety, “Glimmer was just smart enough to suggest we go first, and that seemed to do the trick.” He tosses the ping pong ball, landing in another cup, and Adora has to drink _again_. 

“Yep, pretty much,” Glimmer says, giving a fist bump to Bow. 

Bow throws again, and the ball clips the rim of a cup then bounces aside. Adora and Scorpia are down to their last two cups, and Bow and Glimmer still have a full set of ten in front of them. 

“Looks like you both could use some help,” a voice rasps behind Adora.

_Oh, now you want to talk, huh?_

“Cat-ra,” Adora slurs, “we n-need your help.” 

“I’ll help you just this one time, princess,” Catra sighs, baring a fang with a cocky grin. “There’s no need to have you any more inebriated.”

“Yayy,” Adora cheers, and she has to refrain from acting on every drunken impulse that tells her to hug Catra. “Then we cantalk? Semi-finals… oh no-no wait _femi-sinals_ … hmm. semi-femi-” 

“Fine,” Catra grumbles, shutting Adora up before she centers herself at the table, Adora and Scorpia stepping aside. 

_Plunk. Plunk. Plunk._ It’s not long before Catra has made a significant dent in Glimmer and Bow’s array of cups.

“How is this allowed?” Glimmer scoffs, and she takes hold of another cup of beer, downing it angrily. 

_Plunk_. Catra sinks the final shot into Bow and Glimmer’s last cup.

“Yesss,” Adora gloats at Glimmer, “we winn!” 

“That’s definitely against the rules of the game, but I’ll let it slide _just_ this time, Adora,” Glimmer says bitterly. 

“Hehe,” Adora chuckles, turning around to talk to Catra, but she has already slipped away. “Ugh, where did she goooo?” Adora groans, making her way to Glimmer, before using the smaller girl to support some of her own body weight. 

“Down the hallway, I think,” Glimmer suggests, straining to prop Adora up. “You’re heavier than you look, geez.”

“Why is she so mean, Glimmer?” Adora whines, “It’s not fair when she looks _soo_ pretty. _All the time!_ How does she” -hic- “do it?”

“I don’t know, Adora,” Glimmer sighs, rolling her eyes, “but you need to talk to her. _Closure,_ remember _?_ ”

“Right,” Adora responds, feeling her stomach drop at that word again, but she resolves herself to her doomed fate. She stumbles down the hallway in search of her elusive ex-teammate.

“Catraa, I n-need to talk to you.” Adora knocks on Catra’s door, and impatiently, she cracks open the door, because she can see the light bleeding through underneath. Even though the light has been left on, Catra isn’t in her room. Stepping into Catra’s current room does bring up memories of the student apartment they shared during their junior and senior years at Horde Academy. Although Adora notices a couple of new posters on Catra’s wall, band posters like girl in red and Hayley Kiyoko.

Catra’s desk is an explosive mess of notes, folders, binders, and organic chemistry textbooks. She has never been one to study in her room, preferring to spend time in the library. Her bed isn’t made like it usually is. _She’s probably stressed,_ Adora thinks back to the times Catra didn’t make her bed, when she had a major exam, a volleyball tournament… then Adora’s eyes catch the piece of maroon fabric, barely poking out from underneath the sheets. 

_There’s no way…_  
Adora reaches to pull back the layer of sheets, obscuring Adora’s favorite hoodie of all time. A maroon, athletic-fit hoodie, that Razz picked out because she thought Adora would love the gray skull design on the back. 

And Catra has had it this entire time… 

Three beers and the rush of discovering her old hoodie in Catra’s bed is enough to swirl Adora’s mind into a different dimension, and she stumbles out of Catra’s room in a daze. 

“Adora!” Glimmer calls out down the hall. “We were looking for you... oh god you’re such a fucking lightweight.” 

“Sheee… she _stole_ my hoodie,” Adora drunkenly growls the words.

“Catra stole your hoodie?” Glimmer asks, raising her eyebrows.

“ _My_ hoodie, she _knew_ it was my favorite, and she’s had it for months. I thought it was gone for good-” -hic- “ _-_ and my gray skull hoodie...it’s just in her bed,” Adora slurs with a frustrated shrug. 

“Adora, doesn’t that sound a bit gay to you?” Glimmer asks, raising an eyebrow, but all Adora can think of is _theft_ and games- the games Catra plays with her, getting under her skin, inside her head.

“No, it’s not- it’s not like that, she doesn’t… she’s my _enemy_ … she’s made that clear now.” 

The front door of the apartment swings open, and Perfuma and Catra stroll in with pupils blown out, bloodshot eyes, and a faint herbal scent drifting into the room behind them.

“Thanks, ‘fuma, that is some damn good stuff,” Catra sighs, stretching her arms above her head. “Hey Scorpia, you should bring her back more often.” 

“I plan on it, Wildcat,” Scorpia says, with a sparkle in her eyes as she takes Perfuma in her arms, hugging her date.

“From our last conversation, it seemed like you really needed to unwind, Catra, and I’m happy to have facilitated that,” Perfuma responds, still held in Scorpia’s tight embrace.

As insufferably cute as Scorpia and Perfuma are being right now, Adora’s attention is focused on Catra, the liar who stole her favorite hoodie and kept it for _months_ . Catra likes to play games, but this is too far, even by their standards. _“Cat-ra,”_ Adora grumbles, her voice carrying across the living room until it hits Catra’s ears, those blown out eyes turning and laughing in her direction now. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra hums, baring a fang as she strides across the living room. She nearly presses Adora into the wall behind her, standing as close as she gets. From this close, Adora really can see how bloodshot and glazed over her eyes are, obscuring her heterochromia with a tinge of red. “You wanted to talk to me about something?” 

Oh, Adora wants to talk about the hoodie _now-_ everything else can wait. Adora _needs_ an explanation from her. “You stole my gray skull hoodie,” Adora grumbles, slurring her speech, “you lyingg liar...”

Catra’s bravado washes off her face as if Adora splashed her with cold water. “What? You went into my room? My bed- oh that’s fucked. Just stop talking, and come inside,” Catra growls, tugging Adora by her arm into her room and slamming the door behind them. When they get inside, Adora nearly stumbles over, and Catra props her up with her own body, before guiding Adora to sit on the bed. 

Adora sprawls out her back and pulls the gray skull hoodie out from Catra’s sheets. “You had _this_ … m-mine,” Adora mumbles, “my hoodie.” She shakes the hoodie in her fist above her head to prove a point. 

“Adora, please don’t get mad…” Catra whispers.

“You saw how upset I was? And you let me think it was _gone_ ,” Adora spits. She drops the hoodie in her daze, and it falls on her face before she pulls it to her side.

“I was going to give it back,” Catra says, her voice cracking, strained. “I _promise_ , Adora. There just wasn’t a good time.” 

“There wasn’t a good time” -hic- “because y-you wouldn’t talk to me. I’ve been begging you to just _talk_ to me, Catra,” Adora pleads, feeling her face grow warmer. She sits up to look at Catra, trying to gauge a reaction on Catra’s face with little success considering both of their intoxicated states. “Why would you keep this from me?” Adora feels betrayed in some sense, that Catra would go to this level to hurt her, to mess with her head.

“I- look, Adora. Just this once... it wasn’t a game. It wasn’t supposed to be _like that,”_ Catra groans in exasperation, running a hand through her hair.

“What was it, then?” Adora asks, an edge creeping up on her voice. “You ignore me for m-months, but keep one of my favorite things? And _lie_ to me about it?”

“Ugh,” Catra groans, “I really don’t want to talk about this.” She begins pacing back and forth while Adora watches from the bed. “Just take the hoodie and leave, _please_ ,” she croaks out. 

As if Adora has prodded her too hard, Catra closes herself off, crossing her arms and turning her head away to make herself small. The more Adora stares her down, the more Catra seems to shrink into herself. Adora can’t stand to see her like this. 

“Catra… it’s okay. I can just- I’ll leave if that’s what you want from me,” Adora rises from the bed, a bit wobbly on her feet. She lumbers over to the door, while Catra just stares across the room at her, distant, glazed eyes. Adora’s fingers grasp the door handle.

_“Wait,”_ Catra grunts, letting out a deep frustrated sigh. She hesitates, her breath hitching as if to hold the words back, but they eventually spill out. “Look… I kept it because it has a strong trace of your scent, and that helps me sleep at night for some sick reason,” Catra admits, her voice hoarse and strained. 

Adora swallows, trying to process this piece of information... that her favorite hoodie has been a source of comfort for Catra these past few months. She thinks of the nights in bed they shared together, how much Catra _needed_ her, and it brings an ache to her chest, letting herself remember that they were close like that, something Adora fucked up for good. While Catra’s reason doesn’t excuse the stealing and lying, at least on some level, Adora knows Catra didn’t steal her prized possession _solely_ out of spite for her. 

“It wasn’t a game?” Adora asks, turning around to face Catra. She needs another affirmation from Catra. Adora wants the truth this time, even though Catra is more than capable of lying to her repeatedly, she needs to hear this again.

“I promise,” Catra replies, her voice level, blinking back slowly. Her red-stained eyes seem closer now, more focused than they were a moment ago. 

_She really seems sincere this time._

Maybe on some level, if Catra needed Adora’s hoodie like this… then maybe she needs Adora now, even if Adora isn’t ready to forgive Catra for lying to her and avoiding her, and Catra isn’t ready to forgive Adora for leaving and hurting her. Despite all of that, they could still have _something_ together, right?

Adora needs to believe that’s true, clinging onto any shred of hope that she can. “Would the real thing- I mean... would it help if I stayed with you tonight?”

Catra sighs, her ears twitching before falling flat against her head. “I mean… it might help,” she confesses in a low voice. The way her eyes flick across Adora’s face is almost searching, needy.

“Really?” Adora says, her chest filling with warmth at possibility that there is some small part of Catra that is willing to let Adora in. To let Adora be close to her again.

“Yeah. It would,” Catra murmurs, coiling her tail around her own leg.

——

“Are you sure you’re okay to spend the night?”

“It’s not like that, Glimmer,” Adora assures her, understanding that Glimmer might be concerned her friends are fairly intoxicated right now. “She just needs me here.”

“So you guys talked and worked things out together?”

“Well, no… and no actually.”

“You’re a fucking mess, Adora,” Glimmer sighs dramatically, shaking her head at her lesbian disaster friend while she puts on her coat. “I hope you understand that you’re eventually going to have to talk to Catra about whatever happened between you two.” 

Adora hugs her short, pink-haired friend. “I do, and it’s like, really _scary_ to think about... so I’m trying not to thinkaboutit byeglimmer,” Adora blurts, the nerves in her stomach accelerating her speech.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Adora,” Glimmer breathes as she escapes Adora’s tight drunken hug, closing the apartment door behind herself. 

——

Adora is almost too excited to be in Catra’s room for the night, and it’s doing wonders to mask the black hole of dread and despair eating away at her insides. 

That feeling in her stomach amplifies when she finds herself unable to look away from Catra stripping out of her red and black flannel into her black tank top underneath. Adora is glad that Catra faces away from her, because she is having trouble peeling her eyes from Catra’s back and ass-now front, _oh god Catra just turned around..._

Adora scratches her head as she snaps her gaze away, her face painfully hot as she feels the weight of Catra’s judgmental eyes lingering on her tense expression.

“My eyes are over here, Adora,” Catra teases, cocking an eyebrow before unbuttoning her pants, and now Adora _needs_ to look away again as she desperately kicks off her shoes, a healthy distraction. 

“I’m aware,” Adora jokes back nervously, trying to tug her black hoodie over her head but in her anxious, drunken stupor, the hoodie gets stuck while she struggles with it. Through the muffled fabric over her ears, Adora hears Catra let out a long sigh.

“Good to know you’re still a moron,” Catra groans, helping Adora tug the rest of the hoodie over her head, and Adora feels much less overheated in her white tank top. 

Adora unzips her black jeans, aggressively working them down her legs before tossing them on Catra’s floor. “Is this okay?” Adora asks, because now Catra won’t even look at her.

“Yes, just get in already,” Catra hisses impatiently.

Adora crawls under the sheets and snuggles herself in Catra’s bed, which smells so good and makes her feel warm and fuzzy. The sheets pull against her as Catra settles next to her.

“Can I come closer?” Catra asks, still maintaining a distance from Adora in the bed, not yet touching her.

_This is a bad idea, right?_

“Yes,” Adora replies quickly, wrapping an arm around Catra to pull her closer so that her head rests on Adora’s chest. Catra crosses an arm over Adora’s stomach and lets one of her legs rest on Adora’s thigh. Absentmindedly, Adora lightly traces her fingers along the back of Catra’s tank top, and Catra lets out a low rumbling purr that makes her own heart flutter.

Lying here like this in Catra’s bed feels so good and so _right_ , Adora thinks. She can’t lose this- can’t remind Catra of the horrible things she said, the way she left, how she hurt Catra badly enough to make her ignore Adora for months... not to mention the most recent incident where she let Catra pummel her quite badly. _Why is Catra even letting her stay?_

“This is just for practical purposes, so don’t take it as anything else okay?” Catra says, affirming Adora’s own thoughts on the matter. “I just need this right now.” 

Being this close, Adora can smell a hint of weed clinging to Catra’s hair. Maybe the weed makes her want to cuddle, Adora thinks. Another part of her wonders if Catra ever stopped needing her. She is okay being a convenient warm body for the sake of Catra’s needs tonight, not exactly new territory for them.

“I-I get it,” Adora says shakily. “I just want to help, Catra.” It’s partially true at least, she admits. Another part of her though, is selfishly enjoying how warm Catra’s body is against her, how Catra’s tail curls around her legs, how Catra rests so gently on her chest, slowly rising and falling with every deliberate breath Adora takes.

Beer is a disaster for secrets, because Adora wants to do it- she wants to talk to Catra about semi-finals, every impulse telling her to blurt her feelings. Adora can will herself to say something. _Closure?_ That’s what Glimmer said she needs…

Catra nuzzles her head up and her breath is hot on Adora’s neck, and it sends a shiver down Adora’s spine and awakens a needy ache in her stomach. Once Catra crosses her leg over Adora’s thigh, Adora feels a deep heat well between her own legs and _oh fuck_ ... Adora is doomed now. She wants more of this, but she can’t have any if she scares Catra away. _Abort mission._ She fights against the nerves and alcohol to keep her breath steady, gritting her teeth to stifle a gasp, to not give any information away...

“I know you want to fuck me, Adora,” Catra sighs, her lips grazing against Adora’s neck with the lightest, sublest touch, but it shoots pure electricity through Adora’s veins.

“W-what? How do you… how do you know that?” Adora blurts. Her heart leaps out of her chest, and her stomach falls down a flight of stairs while Catra exhales suddenly into a low, shaky laugh. Adora’s core is shaken, but her body remains paralyzed in place.

“Well, thanks for the _extra_ confirmation, but I know because I can smell how turned on you are,” Catra murmurs, her breath still huffing against Adora’s neck. 

_Catra can_ do _that?_ _Oh shit… oh fucking shit._

“Y-you can do…?” Adora stutters, although it might not be loud enough for Catra to hear over the sound of her own pounding heart. “Oh no, oh nooo… Catra, I’m screwed,” Adora whines, her face red hot, flush from alcohol and embarrassment. 

“You really should have paid more attention to hybrid studies in Physiology. After all of that tutoring, I thought you would at least remember something useful,” Catra taunts, and Adora’s head could probably explode from all this heat. 

“How long… how long have y-you been able to do this?” Adora asks, trying to realize the implications of this _teensy_ bit of knowledge Catra has spilled, but she’s struggling to form a coherent thought while coming down from a few beers. 

“Long enough to know that I enjoy watching you undone like this,” Catra admits, leaning up to smirk down at Adora’s dumbstruck, drunken, gawking face. “If you want to try anything, I could be persuaded. Not right now of course, you’re still too far gone, and I’m a bit high,” Catra murmurs, lightly stroking Adora’s hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. “But think about it, and we’ll talk when you’re sober.” Does Catra actually _want_ her? Maybe she doesn’t in the warm way Adora feels about her but she might in the _ohmyfuckinggod_ kind of way that lights a fire in Adora’s bones. Maybe Catra isn’t just acting out, maybe she _means_ it, by how intensely her eyes flick from Adora’s lips back to her eyes. 

Adora gulps nervously. It’s hard for her to think straight when all she wants to do is close the distance between them and taste Catra’s lips. She lets out another breath and relaxes, because she will respect Catra’s request to talk about whatever _this_ is in the morning, when they are both sober. _Has Catra really been able to do that this entire time?_ Her stomach lurches thinking about how Catra has teased her, playing with her feelings in one of their many games, when Catra knew the effect she had on her. And here Adora is, a weak, drunken mess lying in Catra’s bed, in terrible need of a release from her own ex-teammate’s tortuous games. 

Adora needs this, she thinks, _oh god she needs this,_ but she is doomed to have her heart broken. She could be Catra’s release, if that’s what Catra really wants. Adora’s imagination wanders at that thought, and she feels her legs involuntarily twitch. Catra is cracking into a laugh while she looks down at Adora’s currently aroused state, and why is she so _mean_ and so _sexy_ , Adora thinks, her face burning hot. “Stop laughing,” Adora whines, covering her face with her hands. “This is a lot for me t-to process, Catra.” 

“You don’t have to think about it anymore now. Just sleep on it, and let me know what you want in the morning, okay?” Catra rests her head on Adora’s chest again, and she can probably hear Adora’s heartbeat slow into smaller, steadier thumps. 

Adora would do whatever it takes to have this again with Catra… before Catra ultimately pushes her away, because Adora can’t fix what she did, the laundry list of mistakes she’s accumulated. Adora knows they need to talk, but she can’t bring anything up because she wants more of _this_ , whatever it is. Maybe Adora shouldn’t be here right now, but she wants this to last as long as it can, wishing Catra would lie on her chest every night after tonight. This hasn’t lasted before, and it’s not going to last this time either, she knows. 

“Mm sleep,” Adora mumbles, her eyelids fluttering open and closed as Catra’s head rises and falls against her chest. She has barely slept at all this week after what happened in the boxing room. A little bit of alcohol and Catra’s warm body pressed against her soothes Adora’s eyelids shut. “Night, Catra.” It’s not long before a faint rumble drifts her into a deep sleep.

Tomorrow morning would be a problem for future Adora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so stupid, it hurts.


	4. the games we play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: brief underage (18+) drinking

#### Catra (Now): Fright Zone University

It’s not every morning Catra wakes up next to a mistake she’s made. She finds it especially frustrating that this mistake is her warm, beautiful ex-teammate. In a moment of weakness fueled by weed and desperation (mostly the latter), Catra succumbed to an urge just to _feel_ close to Adora- no, _someone_ , she needed to feel close to _someone,_ and Adora conveniently has a nice body. At least that’s what Catra tells herself. 

The muscular, blonde girl stirs slightly but Catra remains still, her head tucked into Adora’s shoulder, taking in her strong scent. With brawny arms wrapped around her, trapping her in an embrace, Catra should be offended.

But this is so much better than sleeping with Adora’s hoodie. _Wow._

Catra relies on every ounce of self-control she has not to stroke Adora’s hair or run her lips along the side of Adora’s neck … Her own thighs twitch with need, but she suppresses those urges quickly. If Catra is going to take control of herself _,_ she needs to take control of any situation between them. She needs to push Adora _away_ , and she only can do that by making Adora want to leave. Which is exactly why Catra should not have teased Adora so much last night. 

Even if this feels so good right now, lying with Adora like this, those stupidly perfect tits spilling out of Adora’s white tank top dangerously close to her face and Catra’s arm draped across Adora’s waist, just above her firm abdomen where it peeks out from under the fabric. Being this close to Adora is addictive, intoxicating, and detrimental to Catra’s health. She was able to quit Adora once before, but as soon as she found herself close to Adora again, everything spiraled out of control. 

Although, maybe Catra could take advantage of her own circumstantial lapse in judgment. She could double down on last night by seducing Adora and making Adora admit what she wants… _Aah, no! Betrayal!_ Adora would cry out, much to Catra’s own amusement. 

Adora would believe her, gullible as she is, especially after Catra’s proposition to her last night. Then she could pull Adora closer and snap back like a rubberband, launching Adora out of her life for good.

Getting under Adora’s skin like this would also give FZU a leg up in the playoffs versus BMC. Catra imagines Bright Moon’s star hitter, emotionally crippled on the court, because of her own scheming. 

Maybe Catra could have her cake and eat it too. She could push Adora away, defeat BMC in the playoffs, and even have a little fun with her ex-teammate along the way. It would be quite cruel, even by Catra’s standards but not far from the games they’ve played before. To watch Adora unravel from her own mischief… _worth it._

The sleeping girl beneath her has no idea what’s coming for her. Adora seems about as relaxed as Catra has ever seen her, face smoothed over, eyes gently closed, lips somewhat parted as she takes slow breaths in her deep slumber. 

Catra begins peeling one of Adora’s heavy arms off her back, trying not to wake her while she eventually squirms out of her hold and off the bed. Meanwhile Adora lets out a grumble in her sleep and kicks her legs.

Adora’s hoodie is still poking out from under the sheets, and Catra lets out a pained sigh. Ideally, Adora won’t connect the dots to figure out when and why it went missing, because Catra would rather die than tell her. Quite frankly, Catra doesn’t want to return the hoodie either. Adora’s scent has been soothing her to sleep every night for months, some part of her is reluctant to admit that she _relies_ on it. 

But did Adora feel guilty enough to forgive Catra when she stole her hoodie and lied about it after? Even though it’s one of Adora’s favorite things, she didn’t give Catra that hard of a time for stealing her cherished belonging.

_That’s a lot of guilt, Adora._

Looking over her shoulder, Catra checks to see if Adora is still asleep before pulling out her sports bra, spandex, and practice jersey from her dresser. She is about to undress, but her ear twitches when she hears Adora shift on the bed. _Operation: Seduce Adora_ is off to an earlier start than planned, Catra supposes.

“Hey, Adora,” Catra hums, stripping off her tank top over her head while her teammate leans up from the bed. 

After Adora groggily rubs her eyes awake, her eyes widen when they see Catra, flicking across her half-naked body. “Did we…?”

“No, idiot,” Catra huffs, pulling on her sports bra. “Get your head out of the gutter.”

“Oh, good,” Adora sighs, her face washing with relief as she lets out a long breath. “I was worried for a second there…”

“You could at least _pretend_ to be disappointed,” Catra breathes, rolling her eyes at the dumb jock in her bed.

 _“Catra,”_ Adora hisses, slowly peeling back the covers and climbing out of bed. “So are we… can we- uh... talk about last night?” 

Catra would find that question easier to answer if Adora was still tucked under her covers, because Adora’s white tank top and underwear leave very little to her own imagination. Her himbo of an ex-teammate has always spent her free time outside of volleyball and school in the weight room, and it shows. Adora’s thighs could probably crush steel, and she’s become even more chiseled since senior year at Horde Academy, when she really started getting jacked. It’s a bit distracting, but nothing Catra won’t be able to overcome for the sake of tormenting Adora.

“What is there to talk about? That you’re super horny and won’t do anything about it?” Catra teases with a smirk, watching Adora’s cheeks glow red from across the bedroom.

“I _will_ do something about it! I mean…” Adora pauses to remove her hair band from her messy ponytail because she fell asleep in it drunk, letting her hair fall out from where it was trapped. 

“You mean…?” Catra drawls, eyebrows raised, inviting Adora to finish her sentence.

“I mean that I’ll take care of that _myself,”_ Adora says with finality, running a hand through her hair.

Maybe Adora did learn a thing or two in Physiology, after all. “So you finally figured that out, huh?” 

“I _did_ ,” Adora replies quickly and confidently. “Ugh, where are my pants?” she sighs, dropping to the floor and to tug out her jeans from under the bed. 

Catra laughs, pulling on her dark red headband. “Glad I could teach you something useful. So what finally pushed you over the edge?” 

If Adora’s face was flush before, her cheeks are redder than a dying sun now. “I-I just read some of the articles you sent me… it’s, uh... Physiology… Nothing too scary.”

“Yeah,” Catra goads her on, “since when do you know anything about Physiology?”

“Well, I don’t know that much yet, but I’m going to be taking lots of classes in it,” Adora explains, retrieving her black hoodie from the floor. “It’s part of my major, actually.” 

Catra fights to choke down a laugh at this remark from Adora. “So our little masturbation conversation made you want to go and devote your life to the thing? _How cute.”_

Adora groans, sinking her face into one hand. “It’s not like _that_.” 

“Shh, it’s okay, Adora,” Catra says, practically singing because Adora is so riled up in front of her. “I’m not going to kinkshame you.” 

“You’re ridiculous,” Adora huffs, pulling the black hoodie over her torso, “and also _wrong_.” She tugs the hood over her head as well for good measure. Adora dressed in all black with her hair down and under a hood is quite the spectacle. It’s as jarring as it is hilarious. 

“Are you like, emo now or something? Seriously, what is this look?” 

“Hey!” Adora huffs, crossing her arms. “I’m just _experimenting_ with some things.” The way she says that word, it’s almost like she understands the weight it carries. 

Catra would have to capitalize on that. “So… speaking of experimenting, you wanted to talk about last night?”

Adora’s cool blue eyes, contrasting her dark outfit, begin searching Catra’s face. “Did you mean it? About wanting to…”

“Did I mean it? Hah!” Catra laughs sharply, trying to figure out the best approach for how to handle this. Her plan won’t work here, because she needs to have an exit strategy. She also needs to buy more time to think about how exactly to get under Adora’s skin. _Really? It’s Adora. There’s plenty of margin of error to work with here._ The issue is, the margin of error is lower when it comes to her own needs, as much as she refuses to admit _that_ to Adora. “Why don’t I _show_ you? I’ve got practice soon, but meet me after?” 

“Yeah,” Adora says tentatively, like she’s testing out how the word feels on her own tongue. “After practice. I’ll see you soon then.” Adora looks about ready to leave, but her eyes flick to the bed where her maroon gray skull hoodie is bunched up under the sheets. 

“Adora, if you want to take it…” Catra falters, her eyes flicking from the hoodie back to Adora.

“I can let you hold onto it,” Adora says with a meek smile. “But you’re _borrowing_ this from me. Only until you don’t need it anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Adora replies, and the idiot walks over to Catra’s chair, pulling the oversized red and black flannel Catra was wearing last night over her shoulder. “Consider this uh, collateral.”

“Adora,” Catra says, her voice edging into a low growl and the fur on her tail pricking. “Leave the flannel. It’s _mine_.”

“Hmm,” Adora hums, pretending to ponder that thought, but Catra sees that glint in her eyes that means Adora is up to something. “How about I _don’t_ do that?” Adora abruptly swings open the bedroom door behind herself. 

“Adora!” Catra yells just as the other girl bolts out of the bedroom. “Give it back!” Catra scrambles out the open door of the bedroom and down the hallway after her.

“See you later, Catra!” Adora hollers, slamming the front door shut before Catra can reach her.

Catra sighs deeply, banging a fist against the door in frustration as she grieves the loss of her flannel shirt, because she will _not_ be returning that hoodie to Adora.

Their banter, while it felt strangely comfortable in some ways, will only end poorly should she let it continue after this. Some part of her wishes things could be simple between them again, but that’s how these things start. And they only end with a lot of pain.

* * *

#### Adora: February, Senior Year at Horde Academy

 _Pop_.

The sizzle of champagne is as satisfying as it is bubbly, Adora thinks, pouring a serving of the alcohol into Catra’s mug. Adora was lucky Rogelio had a fake ID to get her the bottle, and it’s a good thing no one can determine the age of lizard hybrids from their looks anyway. Scales and all that. 

They settle on the couch in their living room apartment, and Catra stretches out her legs and curls them back in, basically sitting on Adora’s lap. Catra is wearing that oversized red flannel shirt Adora likes on her. 

“Cheers to college,” Catra states, clinking her mug with Adora’s.

“Cheers,” Adora declares with a chuckle, braving a sip of the champagne. “I seriously can’t believe we’re going to go to a school called Fright Zone University. How stupid is that?” 

“The name is pretty ridiculous.” Catra takes a sip of her drink and nearly spits it out. “ _Uuggh,_ this drink tastes like sparkles.”

“I like it,” Adora says with a cheeky smile. Her face feels flush from just a few sips of the stuff. “And I’m so proud of you, Catra. You worked so hard for this, and it’s so rewarding to see it pay off in this way.” 

_“Us._ I’m proud of us,” Catra insists on correcting her, drawing another sip from her mug. “You worked hard too, Adora.”

Adora smiles coyly. “I feel like we were meant to be teammates for life. I know we’re going to conquer the Etherian league together, just like you always wanted.”

“We always said it was gonna be you and me, on the same side of the net,” Catra replies, her voice smooth. She curls in closer to Adora’s shoulder, and a soft purr escapes her chest. It’s so cute, Adora has to prevent herself from squealing, because she doesn’t want to make Catra feel self-conscious and pull away.

“What about your BMC offer?” Adora asks her. She knows they have both been talking about wanting to go to FZU since freshman year, but it can’t hurt to have a little extra confirmation about her best friend’s plans. 

“I’m not going to princess school,” Catra laughs sharply, shaking her head. “FZU has a world-renowned chemistry program, plus I’ll get to keep playing alongside my idiot best friend.”

Adora takes another sip of champagne from her mug. This drink is making her stomach feel super warm and tingly, and she’s barely had a few sips of the stuff. “You’re too good for those princesses anyway.”

“I know,” Catra says with a smug grin. “Why are you asking anyway?” She raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re seriously considering your offer to play at BMC.”

“I mean, why would I? There’s nothing for me at Bright Moon. I mean sure they have fancy athletic facilities, a big budget for sports, and all those related fields of study… but other than that? Not much.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I have this horrible feeling you’ll end up betraying me for their weight room alone. You’ve been getting jacked lately, geez.” Catra reaches to wrap a hand around Adora’s bicep, squeezing at the firm muscle. 

Is it hot in here or is that champagne? Adora feels like her head is going to burst, not unlike that bottle. _“Catra,”_ Adora whines into her mug, and slurps her drink so quickly it goes down the wrong tube and she starts wheezing. “I want to go to FZU” -cough- “with you.” Adora clears her throat, and now she feels better. “Plus I’d get to play under Coach Huntara, who is like, amazing.”

“I swear Adora, it seems like you have a crush on her,” Catra accuses, her ears twitching forward.

“I do _not_ have a crush on Coach Huntara,” Adora retorts, and _wow_ the champagne really is going straight to her cheeks. “But, best of all, no matter where we go, we won’t have to deal with Bitch Weaver anymore.”

“Fucking, _amen_ ,” Catra sighs, and they both drink to that. 

“Is it hot in here?” Adora asks, because her face is flush so red, she can feel it.

“It is, so I don’t get why you’re wearing that stupid hoodie right now.”

“My gray skull hoodie is _sacred_ ,” Adora huffs defensively, clutching at the maroon fabric with her free hand and with the other, she downs the rest of her champagne, sticky and bubbly as it slips down her throat. “I always have a piece of Razz with me.”

“I get that. But surely, there are other pieces of Razz you own that won’t give you a heat stroke?”

It’s true that Razz has given many trinkets to Adora over the years, but she always felt a special attachment to this gift in particular. There is something so inherently warm and cozy about the fabric, the way the athletic fit molds to her body, allowing her to train in it even. The gray skull design on the back of the hoodie is strangely empowering. Maybe it’s the placebo effect, but sometimes Adora feels like she’s genuinely stronger when she is wearing it.

“There’s just something about this hoodie in particular,” Adora explains, but Catra just rolls her eyes at her. “What? Why do you want it off so badly, Catra? Is it because you _like_ me,” Adora taunts, nudging Catra on her shoulder.

“It is _not_ because I like you,” Catra sighs, the heat rolling off her breath as she shifts from Adora’s lap to sit beside her in protest. “It’s just- it’s hot in here. I wish these shitty student apartments actually had working A/C.”

“Nice amenities at Horde Academy? Unheard of,” Adora scoffs, and she earns a snort from Catra. 

“Seriously, cheers to getting out of this dump and moving on to better things,” Catra remarks, finishing off her champagne.

Adora smiles back at her. “Yeah. Better things.”

* * *

#### Catra: Now (same day)

Catra has never thrived so hard under Coach Huntara’s training. FZU has already gotten off to a great early season, having defeated the number two ranked team in the league, BMC. Most importantly, Catra defeated Adora in their first match of the season, and FZU has even earned a few wins since then, off to an undefeated start. Without Coach Weaver and Adora to hold her back, Catra has been able to focus on her setting and service without any distractions.

After another successful volleyball practice, Catra enters the FZU locker room when she spots a blonde idiot wearing her flannel shirt, her back against a wall of lockers while she crosses her arms.

“Hey, Catra,” Adora hums, a smug grin widening on her face. “What do you think of my new look?

“I want my shirt back, Adora,” Catra hisses, crossing her arms. Her oversized flannel actually fits Adora tightly, like a normal shirt.

“Aww, you want _your_ thing back?” Adora taunts, raising her eyebrows.

“Yes,” Catra grunts, walking toward Adora who starts backpedalling toward the exit. “Are you going to stop being such an idiot?”

“Well, if you want your shirt that badly…” Adora sighs dramatically, feigning a pout, “you’ll have to catch me then-”

“Adora!” Catra screams at the idiot who breaks into a sprint out of the locker room. She clamors after Adora who is making her way up the stairwell. Catra supposes she would have caught up to Adora by now, but having just finished practice, her muscles are currently exhausted. The sound of a door swinging open above her alerts Catra who stumbles out into bright light- the rather desolate rooftop of the FZU gymnasium.

Catra approaches Adora closely, enough to nearly press Adora into the access door behind her. “Give it to me,” Catra growls, panting as her heart rate settles, tugging on the flannel shirt.

Adora smirks, shaking her head and laughing at her. “You’ll have to take it then,” she taunts, dropping her arms to rest at her side. 

“If this is how you’re going to behave, _fine,”_ Catra mutters. If Adora wants to play, Catra will join in on the game. Is this how _Operation: Seduce Adora_ is going to play out? 

“So, while I have your attention… We need to talk, Catra.” 

Catra needs to stall Adora just long enough for her plan to work. “Of all things, you want to _talk_ right now?” 

“Yes, actually,” Adora asserts, her eyes flicking to Catra’s hands.

“So you think you can use my shirt as a hostage?” Catra asks, trying to smooth her voice over while she works the top button of the shirt.

“I’m sorry Catra, I-”

“I’m not mad at you, Adora,” Catra interrupts, lying her ass off. She traces her finger down to the second button, undoing it with one hand.

“Really?” Adora asks, her voice softening as her eyebrows sink inwardly.

“I can prove it. I’ll show you how _not_ mad I am about semi-finals.” Catra pops off the third button, revealing Adora’s black sports bra underneath.

“Catra… I just want to make sure you’re okay,” Adora murmurs, still gazing at Catra’s hands while Catra works the fourth button of the shirt.

“Is that what you really want, Adora?” Catra lowers her voice into a whisper, undoing the fifth button while she leans in closer, her breath heating the other girl’s face.

As if to answer her question, Adora’s eyes flick down to Catra’s lips and linger for a moment, before shifting back up to return her gaze. There’s intent in her expression, yet Adora is so quiet it’s maddening. If Adora won’t use her mouth to speak, maybe Catra can convince her to find another use for it. 

“If you want to kiss me, you can,” Catra whispers, and Adora eagerly sighs into her lips, closing the distance between them. 

The kiss is immediately relieving yet it threatens to build a desperate need inside of her. Catra fumbles with the last button, the flannel shirt opening up to reveal Adora’s exposed stomach. She lets her hands travel to Adora’s waist, her thumbs pressing into Adora’s firm abs, as if to prevent herself from closing off the distance between their hips.

Adora kisses her softly and deliberately, each press of her lips against Catra’s carefully measured, like she’s holding herself back, unwilling to fully give herself what she wants. She has yet to even _touch_ Catra, her arms and hands resting stubbornly at her side. 

Catra knows this feeling of holding back. It’s necessary for maintaining self-control. While Catra lets her tongue gently explore the inside of Adora’s mouth, she makes herself come up for air every so often, stifling the urge to keep her lips warm on Adora’s soft, swollen lips. While she would enjoy kissing Adora without restraint, she can’t let herself do that.

Because if she lets herself give in entirely to her urges, there won’t be a game to play anymore. 

Adora breaks their kiss to breathe for a moment, and Catra has to physically refrain from whining at the loss of contact. She needs to stay _focused_. Adora’s lips remain slightly-parted, inviting Catra to close the distance between them again, patiently waiting for Catra to continue. It’s absolutely, utterly infuriating. 

Catra tries a new approach. She leans in to find refuge in Adora’s neck, panting against the soft, flush skin there. Gently, Catra places a warm, open-mouth kiss on the side of Adora’s neck, lightly nipping at the tender skin here, and like music to her ears, Adora lets out a whimpering moan at her touch. 

“Catra…” 

“Mhm what’s that, Adora?” Catra sighs before sucking at the tender skin on Adora’s neck and enjoying the intoxicating noises she can coax from her. _Breaking down Adora’s walls… little by little._ “Do you remember what I told you?”

Adora’s breath hitches, her entire body shivering as she whispers, “Yes.”

“That I can sense the _effect_ I have on you,” Catra purrs, watching Adora writhe at that particular word.

“You’re teasing me…” Adora whines, her fingers white-knuckling against the door behind her.

“Oh _I’m_ the tease, now?” Catra growls, an inferno awakening inside her chest, and she nips harder against the spot on Adora’s neck, eliciting a long, frustrated sigh from Adora.

 _"Catra,”_ Adora repeats, but this time it comes out as an even more desperate, deep and throaty groan.

“Tell me you want this, princess,” Catra hums, dropping swiftly to her knees with one finger hooked around the belt loop of Adora’s jeans and a question posed by her eyes. As much as Catra dislikes the bulk of knee pads during practice, they are working wonders for her at this moment. She cocks an eyebrow, waiting for Adora to speak up, but Adora looks like she’s about to pass out at the sight of Catra on her knees, her face dangerously close to Adora’s crotch. 

From this proximity, Catra can take in the full scent of Adora’s arousal, and a fiery ache passes through her core until it travels up, spreading heat to her neck and face. But she focuses intently on Adora’s probing eyes gawking down at her, trying to keep her own gaze steady along with her breathing. Catra needs to maintain some semblance of self-control, or else she risks losing to Adora. She wants to win as much as she wants to press her face into the fabric of Adora’s jeans… run her tongue along Adora’s folds… feel Adora’s slick drip down her face while Adora moans her name in that desperate, cracked voice. 

“Do you want this, Adora?” Catra repeats herself, _knowing_ Adora wants this, physiologically speaking, but she needs to hear Adora say it back to her.

“Are you sure?” the blonde asks, voice quavering, eyes searching Catra’s face.

“What do you mean am _I_ sure? I’m asking if _you’re_ sure,” Catra groans, her face burning a darker shade of red. 

“I mean… are you sure you want to do _this?_ Right here… right now?” Adora falters through panting breaths, her fingers digging into the door behind her, almost as if she’s afraid to touch Catra. And Catra is grateful Adora _isn’t_ doing that, because the thought of Adora’s fingers running through her hair right now makes winning sound less appealing. 

“Adora, all you have to do is say _yes,_ and I will tongue fuck you until you come all over my face,” Catra murmurs in the husky, back of her throat. “Now, is that what you _want?”_ she asks through clenched teeth, the fire in her chest heating the words as she spits them out. 

Adora gulps loudly into a low groan, her knees trembling while Catra tightens her grip on Adora’s thighs to support her weight. Her chest heaves with each breath. “Only if you want this too,” Adora croaks, her voice strained with need. 

This was not part of the plan. Maybe Catra should have accounted for how stubborn Adora could be. That Adora wouldn’t give in like this, no matter how much Catra worked her up. That she is just _like_ this. That Adora needs to hear that Catra wants her too right now. 

Catra knows she has pulled in Adora as close as she possibly can, reaching Adora’s limit. She only has one move left, that’s to launch Adora away for good. _Rubberband_...

“Seems like you’re in a tough spot, Adora. Good thing, it’s just a game,” Catra whispers, and Adora’s breath catching lets Catra know she landed the blow.

Adora is squeezing her eyes shut, but she can probably feel Catra’s gaze bore into her, trying to break the last of her resolve. She tries taking a few shaky breaths, but then her face droops. _“Wow,”_ Adora sighs, her voice thick with disappointment and a trace of disgust. “How did I not see this coming? You’re seriously fucking with me right now.”

Catra rises from her knees with a smug laugh, but Adora still refuses to open her eyes to look at her. An impulsive part of Catra wants to hug Adora, to offer comfort, to apologize for deceiving her and hurting her like this. But another part of her knows that if she doesn’t push Adora away first, she’ll only end up hurting the same. At least this way, it’s on her own terms.

While it’s one thing to merely push Adora away, Catra knows the only way to keep her away is to make Adora want to leave. She has to twist the knife. “Aww, you’re so cute when you’re horny,” Catra hums, reaching to cup Adora’s face, but as soon as her fingers make contact Adora swats her hand away. 

Adora huffs into a sobbing laugh, forcing her eyes open. “Thank you, Catra. Seriously, thank you for this.”

Catra scoffs, “You’re thanking me?”

“Yes,” Adora grunts, hot air puffing in and out of her nose. “Because now I know this won’t work. That I was right about _everything.”_ She tugs off Catra’s flannel, letting the shirt fall to the ground, her upper body exposed to the rooftop sun in just a black sports bra. “You were right about one thing, though,” Adora says with a heaving breath. “We don’t have anything to talk about anymore.”

Catra feels her throat dry up as her mouth gapes open, unsure how to respond. She says nothing while Adora swings open the roof access door behind herself and begins descending the steps. All Catra can do is watch, hold her breath, and fight the burning sensation in her eyes as her ex-teammate departs from her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: decides to write a volleyball au because what if KNEE PADS???
> 
> *bonk* horny jail
> 
> I’m sorry for edging y’all with crumbs so far in the flashbacks. Chapter 5 is a lot more flashback-heavy, kind of a whole-ass meal tbh. We are about to get to the real juicy content, but also if u thought there was angst now, it can still get worse before it gets better.


	5. five times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all please see the updated tags. **Content Warnings**
> 
> Physical/ verbal abuse: The scene where actual abuse takes place is skippable, and I would advise anyone who feels they may be sensitive to this material to skip the scene indicated by three rows of asterisks *** to scroll forward until the next horizontal bar. Please note that while the scene is skippable, there will be non-graphic references to the injury/abuse later in this chapter and briefly in future chapters. For those who skip the scene, an explanation in the endnotes of important plot details with a milder description of what happened is available there, also useful for those who are undecided if they want to read it.
> 
> Injury warning: Injury does take place, although descriptions mainly relate to pain/hurting and are not graphic, and there are no mentions of blood.
> 
> Some use of medical terminology. Please note: I am not a doctor of any kind, just trying to tell a story here.
> 
> Explicit sexual content (see tags)
> 
> With all of that out of the way, please approach this chapter with caution, it is pretty much as dark as it gets as far as the rest of the content of this fic goes.

#### Adora (Now)

Adora has a one-track mind. She cracks open the front door of her apartment quietly, hoping she can evade her roommate for just a few minutes, because she needs to take care of something _soon._ But when Adora walks in on Bow and Glimmer watching TV on their living room couch, she knows conversation is inevitable.

“How was your night?” Glimmer inquires with a judgmental smirk, eyes flicking up and down at Adora, donning just a black sports bra and dark jeans.

“I-uh... It wasn’t like that, Glimmer. We didn’t do anything,” Adora says, not entirely truthful in her choice of words. She quickly reaches to cover her neck with her hand, hoping neither of them have noticed the flush marks from their distance on the couch.

“So you guys talked then?”

Adora sees the image of Catra on her knees, a roguish grin on her face, a proposition on her lips... now just a freshly seared memory Adora revisits whenever she blinks. “We didn’t need to talk,” Adora lets out a pained sigh. “She made her intentions very clear.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, Adora.” Glimmer genuinely frowns. “At least you got the closure you needed, I suppose.”

_Ouch, why does that word hurt even more now?_ “Yeah, I guess I did,” Adora responds, blinking back her feelings.

Bow offers a soft, sympathetic smile. “I think I know what might cheer you up. Come watch _The Owl House_ with us? It’s _adorable,”_ he practically squeals.

“Maybe later,” Adora says quickly, her heart pounding a bit harder. She just needs to slip into her room...

“Do you have a date for the Volley Ball?” Glimmer asks before Adora can snake down the hallway.

“Wait the _what_ now?” Adora nearly chokes on her own laughter.

“I know the name is fucking stupid.” Glimmer holds up the horrific sports-themed invitation. “But every volleyball player in the Etherian league will be at the dance. It’s kind of mandatory.”

“Well, no then. I don’t have a date for the uh... the _Volley Ball.”_ Adora feels her legs twitch as she slowly shuffles closer to her room. Maybe she can say something to make a quicker escape from her roommate’s chat. “Do either of you have dates?”

Bow and Glimmer simultaneously flush darker, neither making an attempt to look at the person sitting next to them.

“N-no, actually I don’t,” Bow speaks up first.

“I don’t have a date either,” Glimmer confesses shortly after.

“So... what if you guys went together?” Adora suggests with a knowing eyebrow raise at Glimmer, doing her best to nudge these useless bisexuals in the right direction. “You know, as _friends.”_

“Right, _friends,”_ Bow exhales, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “What do you think, Glimmer?”

“Yes, I would love to go as-uh... _friends_ with you to the dance, Bow.” Glimmer beams at him and returns to her spot tucked into his shoulder, watching TV.

“Okay, well, I’ve got t-to uh, take care of some things. I’ll be _busy,”_ Adora practically wheezes as she flees into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

One of the most infuriating things about Catra is how much she reminds Adora of her own needs. Adora’s heart pounds, and she pants useless breaths, making her way to the bed, lying flat and letting her legs dangle off the edge. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees a pair of determined blue and yellow eyes piercing her defenses.

Adora wastes no time, slipping a hand under her pants, and now she understands why Catra was so smug with her, because Adora is drenched, the fabric of her underwear soaked completely through with her own arousal. Slowly, Adora traces circles around her already sensitive and swollen clit, but even though a bit of relief feels so good, something doesn't feel _right_ about this. Normally, Adora takes care of these urges in bed, but she just can’t shake a feeling in her head. Like she’s possessed, Adora rises from her bed to walk to her bedroom door, pressing her back against the hard surface.

With a shaky sigh, Adora closes her eyes again, and this time there’s Catra kneeling in front of her with that taunting smirk on her face and one finger tugging on the waistband of Adora’s jeans.

_Tell me you want this, princess._ Catra’s husky voice burns Adora’s resolve, diffusing heat throughout her body.

_I want you, Catra._

Adora lets her fingers slip beneath her underwear. She can let herself have this now, when she is here and alone. Her initial instinct to keep up a steady pace with her fingers, to guide herself to orgasm in the mechanical, goal-oriented way she normally approaches getting herself off is suppressed by another, more frightening urge.

If Catra were here, Adora thinks, she would probably tease Adora in the same excruciatingly painful way she handles every interaction with her. Catra would trace her tongue in a line down to Adora’s entrance and back up, brushing lightly over her clit, repeating the agonizing strokes until she elicits a desired reaction from Adora.

_I didn’t know you wanted it so badly._

_I do. I need it. I need you to fuck me, Catra._

And Catra would let out a muffled, arrogant laugh while her tongue strokes against Adora, gradually increasing her pace, but it’s still not _enough._ The increase in tempo only offers a trace of relief, otherwise acting as pure torture and only making Adora crave more. Adora imagines entangling her fingers with tufts of Catra’s short hair, allowing Catra’s warmth to better mix with the desperate heat welling between her own legs. Adora can practically feel the conquering grin widening on Catra’s face while her tongue begins to run in steadier circles around her clit, building up a tension in her thighs.

If Adora asked, maybe Catra would tease a sheathed digit inside of her. It would slip in so easily, and Catra could slide in another shortly after, pumping her fingers into Adora while she sucks on her clit. Adora’s legs buckle and twitch, and she nearly slides down the door.

White heat rises to Adora’s neck at the vision of Catra thrusting into her while licking and sucking, pushing Adora closer to the edge. Adora rocks her hips harder into her hand, and her walls clench tightly around her thrusting fingers.

_Adora, all you have to do is say yes, and I will tongue fuck you until you come all over my face._

_Yes._

The tension in her legs and core becomes agonizing until Adora senses the initial burst, letting the release hit her in a series of waves, her walls pulsating against her fingers while she leans hard into the bedroom door, Catra’s name quietly spilling from her lips.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Adora opens her eyes. It doesn’t take long for the cloud of guilt to loom over once again, overcasting the brief moment of bliss Adora has allowed herself after all of Catra’s ruthless torment lately. As much as Adora has needed this, she can’t allow herself to become comfortable with this fantasy, because she knows what Catra is capable of–the lengths Catra will go to in order to see a rise from her.

_But what’s making her act out this time?_

* * *

#### Catra: March & April, Senior Year at Horde Academy

"Hey, are you okay?” Adora asks with a concerned look, because Catra has been kneading her own shoulder as if it will alleviate the mildly irritating pinch that has claimed this particular spot.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Catra huffs, shrugging her shoulders out. “I just need to take it easy during practice today.”

As much as Catra would have preferred to let her shoulder rest during practice, abstaining from serving and spiking mainly, Coach Weaver has dialed up the serving drills in anticipation of playoff season. Despite Catra’s careful avoidance, Coach Weaver appears to notice that Catra isn’t exactly keeping up with the rest of the team during serving drills near the end of practice.

“Stay after practice,” Coach Weaver requests, looming over Catra.

Catra sighs, making herself small. “Yes, Coach Weaver.”

Eventually practice ends, but Adora is stalling in the gym, tying her shoes for about the third time, waiting for Catra to join her because they normally walk back to their apartment together.

“Go without me,” Catra tells her. “I’m staying after practice.”

“You’re clearly hurt. You should come home with me and rest,” Adora falters, her eyebrows sagging with worry.

“I’ll be fine,” Catra grumbles, and lowering her voice she adds, “I can handle the bitch myself. I’ll meet you later.”

“Catra...” Adora’s tone is urgent and beseeching, but she has always been one to get overly concerned. “Come with me, please.”

“Adora, it’s going to be fine. Just go home.”

********************************

********************************

********************************

“I need to stop and rest. It hurts, Coach Weaver,” Catra whimpers, trying to steady her voice but it comes out as a desperate whine. The pinch in her upper back has now evolved into a widespread, searing ache encompassing her entire shoulder, sparking needles of pain every time Catra lifts her right arm.

“The only hurting I see is you hurting our chances at victory during the playoffs.” Coach Weaver tosses more volleyballs to Catra, pacing back and forth while she does so. “Your weaknesses continue to bring down the rest of the team with you.”

“I can’t serve anymore... At least, let me t-try serving underhanded,” Catra practically begs, the scorching, throbbing burn worsening every time Catra lifts her arm.

_“Fifty more._ You will stay all night if that is what it will take.”

“Ugh, fuck this,” Catra snaps, her chest burning with indignation. “I don’t have to do this!”

“You will continue, Catra,” Weaver drawls, a cruel smile curling on her lips. “You need to improve your serve, or else you are useless to me and a detriment to the team’s success.”

“I’m leaving,” Catra snarls as scalding tears well in her eyes. “This fucking _hurts,_ and I need to rest.”

“You will stay, Catra. Or else I will place a phone call with Coach Huntara,” Weaver practically sings the words, knowing she has total control over the situation.

Coach Weaver has held incredible influence over the collegiate recruiting process for Horde players due to the notoriety she has attained over the years. The threat of a revoked scholarship to FZU rips a hole in her heart, but Catra doesn’t care anymore, not when she has choices. Sure, BMC has never been her dream school, but she would rather spite Coach Weaver than give in right now. “If you think you can threaten me by holding my FZU scholarship over my head, it won’t work. I have other offers,” Catra growls, kicking a stray volleyball as she storms to exit the gym.

“I’m not talking about _your_ scholarship, Catra,” Weaver threatens with a vile laugh, consumed by her power trip. “I’m talking about Adora's offer to play at FZU.”

Catra freezes in place, her breath catching while she fights every urge to scream at the woman who has made her life hell for the past four years. After four years of obedience, one act of rebellion spurs Coach Weaver to turn against her in a way she knows Catra could never retaliate. Because Catra could never give up on Adora, not even to spite Weaver and spare herself from more pain.

“You will stay, or I make that phone call right now.”

“Fine,” Catra croaks out, although she can barely hear herself over her throbbing headache and watery eyes, dulling out her surroundings.

“Fifty more,” Coach Weaver repeats, rolling another set of volleyballs back to Catra.

“Yes, Coach Weaver.”

* * *

Catra doesn’t exactly know how much time has passed, it could have been two or twenty minutes later, but the gymnasium door bursts open to Adora, red in the face and out of breath.

Weaver clenches her fists, pacing across the court. “Adora, if I recall I did not ask you to-”

“Stop!” Adora screams, positioning herself to stand in front of Catra. “Catra needs to rest, Coach Weaver. She’s hurt.”

“Adora,” Catra growls, “I told you to go home. Now, stay _out_ of this.” Catra pleads with her eyes, hoping Adora will leave on her own. Because if Adora finds out the truth, she won’t let Catra go through with this.

“I won’t,” Adora turns to address Catra, taking the volleyball from her hands. “Coach Weaver bothers you enough as it is, and I won’t let her do this now while you’re clearly injured, Catra.” Adora grasps her left hand, willing Catra to go with her.

“You have no idea what you’re doing, Adora,” Catra argues, prying her hand from Adora’s hold.

“Catra-”

“Go,” Coach Weaver’s voice travels from across the court, interrupting their conversation, “both of you.” Weaver releases a strained sigh. “Catra, I expect you to seek rehabilitation for your shoulder, and I hope you learned a lesson from this. I will not be making that phone call,” Weaver adds with a final glare.

Catra wants to respond, to let her words slice into Weaver with as much pain as the aching burn in her shoulder, but all she can do is bite her lip to contain the nervous whimper that threatens to spill out of her. Adora takes her left hand again, guiding Catra to leave the gym.

\--

“Catra, I’m so sorry,” Adora mumbles, shakily guiding the key into their student apartment door. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with her. I’m so sorry, I never should have... I... You were supposed to come home with me.”

“Adora, _please,_ ” Catra speaks barely above a whisper, as if yelling will amplify the searing ache in her shoulder.

Once the door is open, Adora flies across the room to their freezer, opening the compartment to her own dismay. “Fuck, we don’t have any ice packs... we’ll need cold water to help with-”

“Adora, I can handle myself, okay? Don’t go beating yourself up over this,” Catra sighs in frustration.

Adora’s throat hitches like she’s choking back the urge to continue rambling. “I promised that we would always stick together,” Adora says after a while. “I guess, if I-I couldn’t do that, then I have to rethink... I only want to be able to take care of you, Catra.”

“Adora, it’s okay. I’m going to be okay. I just need to sleep,” Catra tries to reassure her, heading to her room. Even the low impact of walking sends fresh shockwaves of pain directly to her shoulder.

“No,” Adora protests immediately, “not until we get some cold water on your shoulder to prevent any swelling and inflammation.”

As much as Catra wants to lie in bed and erase today from her memory, she knows Adora is right. If she acts quickly on her injury, it could shave time off the recovery process ahead of her. “Okay,” Catra mumbles, because it’s all she can manage.

“You don’t have to think about anything right now,” Adora murmurs with sincerity as she locks her gaze with Catra. “I’m going to take care of you.”

\--

Catra fumbles with her practice jersey in the bathroom. “I’m about _this_ close to clawing the stupid thing off,” she mutters, trying and failing to pull the shirt over her head with one arm.

“Do you need help?” Adora asks, biting her lip. “I-I mean I won’t look if that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Adora, we shared a bedroom for two years. I don’t care,” Catra sighs, letting her arms drop to her sides.

Adora focuses on the task presented to her, pulling up the side of the jersey along Catra’s uninjured arm first, then working the shirt hole over Catra’s head. “Just tell me if I pull too hard, Catra.” She carefully pulls the rest of the shirt down Catra’s injured arm until the jersey is completely off and in a bunch on the floor. Catra frowns as Adora gapes at her sports bra, which is going to be much more difficult to manage.

“This is going to be expensive,” Catra mutters, stretching a claw over the front of her sports bra.

_“Wait,_ I-I think we can still salvage it,” Adora whispers in a rush. “I need you to get your left arm through the band, so I can pull it off without you having to raise your right arm.”

Catra begins slipping her left arm through the elastic band, stretching out the material until it slides up to her neck, leaving some slack on the right side.

“Okay, I’m just going to stretch out the band and pull it down, so your arm can fit through,” Adora murmurs, her eyes focused intently, her hands meeting just under Catra’s arms before Adora tugs the band wider.

_“Ow,”_ Catra winces as she extracts her right arm from under the bra while Adora pulls the garment over her head. While Catra feels very exposed, it’s not because of the lack of clothing on her torso. Every raw emotion she’s experiencing is being directly projected to Adora, because when Catra feels this small and afraid, she can’t hide behind her usual facade of bravado.

“I’m sorry,” Adora says, dropping the bra to the floor and averting her gaze. “I’m assuming you can handle the spandex and uh...?”

“Yeah, I can,” Catra grunts, pulling down elastic shorts to her ankles, along with her underwear.

Adora twists the shower knob with a squeak, letting the cold water shoot out of the shower head. “I’m a bit concerned about the water pressure,” Adora mumbles. “Is it going to be too much?”

With all of the lackluster amenities available in the Horde Academy student apartments, good water pressure has fortunately never been an issue. _Of course it’s an issue now._ Catra sighs, “It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest.”

Adora finally turns around, her jaw hanging a little loose as she looks at Catra, the gears turning in her head. “What if I block off some of the water with my hand like this?” She reaches up to cup the steady flow of water, spreading her fingers to control the flowing stream.

Catra gulps, but her throat feels a lot drier. “Yeah, that could help, but you’re spilling water all over the floor.” The water has been trickling down Adora’s arm from her position outside the shower, already making a puddle at her feet.

“Oh,” Adora breathes out a puff of air. “So I should get in with you so we can close the curtain?”

“I mean, only if you feel comfortable,” Catra suggests, coiling her tail around her own leg.

“Sure,” Adora replies almost effortlessly, “I just want to make sure we take care of you.” She begins stripping off her own jersey, sports bra, and spandex quickly, until she’s fully nude. While Catra has seen Adora naked before, from when they shared a room together freshman and sophomore year, Adora’s body has changed quite a bit since then.

Catra refrains from gawking at the noticeable difference in Adora’s ass by staring into the wall while Adora makes her way into the shower.

“You coming?” Adora asks, one hand cupping the showerhead, the front of her body screaming at Catra just as loudly as the back.

“Oh, yeah,” Catra whispers, stepping into the shower behind Adora.

The cold water is electric when it first touches her skin, dampening her fur. Catra turns around with her back to Adora, letting the water trickle down on her right shoulder. Eventually numbness sets in, slowly extinguishing the fiery pain on the affected area, and Catra lets out a sigh of relief.

After some time, Catra’s teeth begin chattering, but she knows she needs more time under cold water to reduce future swelling. “Isn’t your hand going to fall off eventually?” Catra jokes through a shiver. She takes a break from the icy water hitting the one spot on her shoulder to turn and face Adora, making pointed eye contact with her.

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” Adora says with a straight face, and Catra genuinely can’t tell if she’s joking or not.

“You’re such an idiot,” Catra groans, a nervous laugh choking out of her, and she can’t hold it back, all of her nervous energy pouring out violently at once. Adora joins in with her laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, so unideal yet neither of them can help but unleash their frenetic energy this way, feeding off each other in shaky, relieving laughter.

Some time later, their laughs fade into a tense silence before Adora speaks up quietly. “I don’t want to pry if it’s unpleasant to talk about, Catra, but do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I-I just...” Catra pauses, trying to think about what she’s willing to share. “Coach Weaver had me do some serving drills, and I just snapped. I told her I was going to leave,” Catra says, barely above a whisper. She hesitates before continuing. “And then she threatened to have my scholarship at FZU revoked,” Catra lies about one particular detail, because she can’t bring herself to explain the truth to Adora, not with all of the guilt her teammate is currently bearing.

“Catra, I’m sorry. I know FZU is your dream school. I can't believe she would hold that over your head just to make you- I mean I _would_ believe it, because she’s mean and terrible. I’m just sorry it had to happen like this."

“Yeah,” Catra huffs, turning away from Adora to let the water pour on her shoulder again. “I mean sure, FZU is my dream school, but I deserve to choose that for myself. And it's yours too right? Just... how would you feel to have that choice taken from you?”

“Of course it’s what I want,” Adora replies almost immediately. “I haven’t even thought about my other offers, to be honest. FZU has a great volleyball program, and I’ll get to play another four years alongside my best friend. You and me.... What else could I possibly choose?” Adora says it all like she’s never had an easier decision to make in her entire life.

Catra smiles to herself, knowing Adora can’t see her expression. “Yeah. I’m glad we’ll still have that after all of this. Me and you.”

\--

Adora picks out an oversized t-shirt for Catra to wear, something easy for her to get on and off. The evening has been long and weary for them both. Almost absentmindedly, Catra tucks herself into Adora’s bed while Adora just watches from the foot of the bed.

“You’re welcome to stay here, if it would help you sleep,” Adora suggests with a meek smile.

“Thank you,” Catra murmurs smoothly, with no stamina for playful resistance and banter.

The warmth of Adora’s sheets, plastered with her teammate’s scent, somehow soothes Catra’s aching shoulder, transforming the aching heat into a more bearable warmth draped around the sensitive region. Blankets tug against her slightly as Adora slips into bed behind her, her breath warming the back of Catra’s neck. Adora’s mere proximity helps to dampen the noise swirling in Catra’s mind, dissipating her thoughts while Adora slowly and cautiously wraps an arm around Catra’s waist, so her front lightly touches Catra’s back. The contact is electric and gratifying, but Adora’s hot air puffing on Catra’s neck is preventing her from truly relaxing into this position.

Everything about Adora pressing lightly into her, being tucked in Adora’s arms like this makes Catra feel so safe. But Adora’s lips are pricking the fur on the back of her neck while her hair is pulled aside, and Catra can’t stop thinking about how they would feel somewhere else. She shifts onto her other side, meeting Adora’s soft blue eyes with her own gaze.

“Hey, Adora,” Catra whispers, leaning her face inward, inches from Adora’s face. Her eyes fall on Adora’s lips, pink, slightly-parted... practically inviting her in.

“Are you okay?” Adora asks, her eyes flicking across Catra’s face.

“Yeah, I just... can I ask you something?”

“I-I mean, sure. Of course,” Adora stutters, and even in the dim light, her cheeks glow red enough to be visible.

"I want to try something," Catra lets her gaze flick up from Adora's lips back into her soft blue eyes that widen the longer Catra pauses. "Can I kiss you?"

"Oh, yes... I mean, if that's something you want-" 

Catra desperately sighs into Adora’s lips. It doesn’t last longer than a few seconds, but Catra actually lets herself kiss Adora like that, briefly tasting Adora’s warm, gentle lips against her own, giving in to a painful desire just to feel something. Not that she hasn’t thought about what it would be like to kiss Adora, but the urge has never consumed her in this way before. Catra has never wanted this more than she has wanted now, feeling so safe with Adora here, tucked under the comforting, protective barrier of her teammate’s scent.

Adora pulls away first, and Catra hesitates inches apart from her, eyeing Adora's lips while Adora blinks back at her. Catra's breathing is heavy despite not having exerted much of herself, and Adora appears to be huffing slightly as well.

"I'm sorry," Adora says, blushing while she smiles back at Catra. "I've never done that before."

As gorgeous as her roommate is, Adora has been so deeply entrenched in volleyball and schoolwork that she hasn't found time to explore these things. Adora never brought anyone over during their nearly four years as roommates, not that Catra brought anyone over either. Not to mention that Adora has the self-awareness of a brick wall when it comes to people flirting with her. Catra still teases her about the tall, brunette center who played for Dryl High, whom Adora thought wanted to kill her. Meanwhile Catra was actually the one who wanted to kill the other girl, and she will probably never admit that to Adora either...

"It's okay. Me neither," Catra confesses, tracing her left hand up to Adora's hairband and snipping the elastic to release Adora's long hair, which cascades down her face.

Adora blows a puff of air to divert a loose lock of hair tickling her nose. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Hey!" Catra actually plays back with her, even if it's a bit shyly. "It looked like it wanted to be freed."

Adora laughs and plants a soft kiss on Catra's forehead, and _wow_ that feels amazing, a pool of warmth dripping from her forehead and extending out to her limbs. Catra wants this again... she desperately wants more of whatever this is, and she does not want to push Adora away, so she'll hold back going forward, taking whatever Adora is willing to give her.

\--

The devil at work is rotator cuff tendonitis, a Horde nurse informs Catra that a full recovery is expected to take about six to eight weeks with proper physical therapy and rest. Adora helps Catra stretch in the mornings and holds ice packs against her shoulder in the evenings. They build new habits together.

After that first night, sleeping with Adora becomes a _bit_ of a habit as well. Some nights Catra returns late from the library and plants herself in Adora’s bed next to her, even if Adora is already asleep. Other nights, if Adora is out for a late run, Catra climbs into Adora’s bed and wakes up to the sensation of one warm, muscular arm sliding under her head and the other wrapping around her waist, holding Catra so close, the place where she feels most safe.

They even kiss sometimes, when Catra dares to ask for it. A week after their first kiss, Adora is icing Catra's shoulder on the couch, while Catra basically sits in her lap. Lying in Adora's lap with her head tucked into Adora's shoulder is insanely comfortable, but Catra's body refuses to relax with all of the energy pulsing through her. Despite her nerves, Catra can't stop herself from purring as she nuzzles into Adora's shoulder. Absentmindedly, she places a quick kiss on the side of Adora's neck, as if it were the most normal thing to do. And it feels so normal up until the moment Adora gasps when Catra's lips meet the tender skin.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," Catra says quickly and truthfully, leaning back, but Adora keeps Catra firmly in her lap, the icepack still carefully pressed against Catra's shoulder.

"Oh," Adora sighs, slouching a bit. "That's alright. I think it felt kind of nice actually."

Catra smiles, her cheeks completely flush with warmth. "Do you want me to do it again?"

Adora's eyes go wide as she considers the question. "Maybe one more time? You know, just to see what it feels like."

"Sure," Catra whispers, targeting a sensitive area on Adora's neck with her lips, letting them brush down the skin for a moment before Catra places a damp kiss at the base of Adora's neck.

Adora lets out another sigh at the contact of Catra's lips, this time longer and throatier. She clears her throat and huffs a quicker breath, eyes wide with alarm. "Interesting," Adora says and purses her lips, which does nothing to conceal the overwhelming blush on her cheeks.

As much as Catra wants to climb her roommate like a tree, she'll have to be patient with Adora.

The third time they kiss, Catra sees stars for the first time. Having class early in the morning, Catra wakes up to Adora curling up behind her that night, after Adora's late run. Catra has been so, _so_ agonizingly patient with Adora, but right now she's on the brink of collapse. Riled up, Catra rolls over abruptly to face Adora, startling her.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," Adora chuckles nervously, carefully tucking away a strand of Catra's hair.

_Patience?_ Catra has completely run out of it. "Adora, I need to get something out of my system," Catra whispers urgently, eyeing Adora's lips, only inches apart from her own.

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you again?" The words practically fall out of her mouth.

"If that helps," Adora suggests, and Catra's lips are already on hers, closing the distance between them while they roll in Adora's bed. Catra claims Adora's mouth with her tongue, teasing Adora's lower lip with gentle flicks of her tongue. The best part is when Adora begins weaving her fingers through Catra's hair, pulling Catra _in._

_"Mmph,"_ Catra moans into Adora's mouth and then comes up for air.

Adora removes her fingers from Catra's hair with a gaping look, and the void her touch leaves behind is pure pain, but Catra uses every ounce of willpower she has to turn away and end it for now. Or else she's worried there won't be an Adora willing to kiss her anymore. Catra is relieved when she feels Adora's body slide toward her again later in the night, that she didn't entirely scare the other girl away.

A few days later, Catra finds Adora blending a protein smoothie in the kitchen, wearing her gray skull hoodie again.

"Hey, dummy," Catra greets her gym-rat teammate, wrapping her left arm around around Adora's waist from behind her. "Another smoothie? I swear that's the fourth time this week."

"I see you know how to count," Adora retorts, angling her head to gawk at Catra.

Sometimes, Catra swears this girl is less stupid than she acts. "Fourth time's a charm, that's what they say," Catra goads her, looking for a trace of _knowing_ in Adora's eyes, but Adora's face is a blank canvas as far as she is concerned.

"You need to kiss me again?" Adora asks, raising an eyebrow.

_So she does know._ Catra is nearly pressing Adora into the kitchen counter with her hips, looking up at Adora expectantly. The idiot stares back at her, and Catra rises on her toes, kissing Adora squarely on the mouth, letting their lips slot together, now a bit more practiced with each other.

Catra makes herself pull away first, and it pleases her to see a trace of displeasure in Adora's expression at the loss of contact. She will remember this.

The fifth time they kiss is mind-blowing. Snuggled on the couch after watching a movie, Adora lets her head rest on Catra's chest with her arm fastened around Catra's waist, a nice change of pace for them both. In her slumber, Adora kicks a leg over Catra, wrapping over her thigh, and the heat Catra feels between her legs is immediate. Adora shifts again until Catra realizes she is straddled between Adora's legs with Catra's head resting between Adora's outstretched arms.

"Hey, Catra," Adora murmurs, leaning closer to Catra's face, revealing a sly grin.

Catra's body is screaming with need. She wants to feel Adora's lips against her own, Adora's strong hands squeezing her breasts, Adora's hips grinding into hers. With the way Adora is gaping down at her, slowly capturing the distance between their faces, Catra remembers the painful need between her own legs. When Adora is only a few inches from Catra's face, Catra can finally lean up to kiss her, trembling with relief as Adora's lips mold with hers, kissing her back. They enjoy each other's lips for a moment, Adora's legs sliding down from her straddle, until she is lying flat on top of Catra, their legs weaving together.

With a slow, sweeping movement, Adora's hips grind into hers with Adora's thigh pressing between Catra's legs. If Catra had seen a few stars before, at this moment she visits entire galaxies.

Catra moans into Adora's lips, and _fuck,_ Adora pulls away from their kiss, her face spread with worry and wide-eyed, like she _broke_ Catra somehow.

"What are you doing?" Catra asks and her voice is so thick with desperation, it's essentially a whine. The question she really wants to ask is: _Why aren't you kissing me right now?_ But Catra is afraid that would sound too needy, even if she _is_ super needy right now.

"Are you okay?" Adora extricates herself from between Catra's legs, sitting upright on the couch.

"I'm fine," Catra lies, willing herself to hold back. She can't push Adora too hard, because every time she does it seems like Adora pulls away from her. Not that Adora can totally hide her attraction to Catra anyway.

Catra's feline senses let her know that Adora _liked_ that. _Adora liked kissing, and she might even like kissing_ me, _but she won’t go beyond that because she doesn’t_ like _me, not how I like her anyway._ There is some part of Adora that enjoys experimenting with her, even if Adora doesn’t do much to instigate or escalate their brief make out sessions. Until the dreaded day comes.

One night, Catra slides into bed next to Adora, melting into Adora’s lips after a long day, but she feels Adora stiffen at her touch. “Hey, what is it?” Catra asks, pulling away from the kiss quickly.

“I don’t think we should do this anymore,” Adora blurts, gnawing at her lower lip. She blinks back at Catra with sullen, baby blue eyes, shuffling backwards in the bed, increasing the distance between their faces.

In this moment, Catra knows that she has lost Adora. The rejection is a blade in her heart, because even if Adora has been responding to her physiologically, her behavior indicates something else... _Of course,_ Adora wouldn’t pursue Catra for sex even if she wanted it, not wanting to hurt Catra when her own feelings are ultimately unreciprocated. That Adora would only let this escalate between them if she shared Catra’s feelings, otherwise unwilling to overstep that boundary in their relationship. Even if it feels like Catra has been throwing herself at her roommate, Adora won’t have her past a certain threshold. Not when she could hurt Catra’s feelings.

“Oh,” Catra sighs, low and tense, “I understand. I-I uh... I think I’m going to go sleep in my own bed now.” Despite every ounce of her being urging her to stay, she has to leave before the burning into her eyes condenses into hot tears. Catra shuffles out from under the covers, the cool night air prickling the fur on her tail as she leaves the oasis of Adora’s bed.

“Are you sure?” Adora asks, her voice light yet soaked with concern. “You can stay if that’s what you need.”

“I’m sure,” Catra grunts, trudging back to her own room, on her way to the bed she hasn’t slept in for weeks.

\--

Things seemingly go back to normal, but they carry about their usual rituals in tense silence over the following days. Adora presses cold packs to Catra’s shoulder every evening and guides Catra through her daily sets of physical therapy and exercises. Catra hates to admit it, but she has barely been able to sleep the past few nights after getting so accustomed to Adora’s bed, yearning to be immersed in the soothing scent that lulls her to sleep so easily. But she can’t let herself have that anymore.

Catra has gained almost all of her mobility back, and existed pain free for over a week. She has taken to practicing her set again, even able to serve and spike with some restraint. With playoffs around the corner, Catra is determined to play again, to guide Horde Academy to victory through the playoffs and championships alongside Adora. She is determined to prove something to Coach Weaver, Adora, or anyone who has ever doubted her abilities.

One fateful night, Catra departs from volleyball practice early, since she’s still unable to participate in some of the scheduled exercises. Traveling back to the locker room to gather her belongings, she eyes Adora’s gray skull hoodie, hung up next to the shoe cubbies. Even among all of the locker room smells, Adora’s hoodie cuts through the other stimuli. Seized by a desperate urge, Catra pulls Adora’s hoodie off the hook and takes it home with her. Adora might freak out, but not for too long. It will miraculously reappear for her in a couple days or so, when Catra doesn’t need it anymore.

\--

Later that night, Catra lies down on her own bed, wearing the warmth and scent of Adora’s hoodie. She hates to think about how much she has missed sleeping in Adora’s bed the past few nights, but she can’t let herself be close to Adora again when she knows how her teammate feels about her. Several nights of sleep deprivation hit Catra like a freight train, and she can finally relax into her own mattress with Adora’s scent draped over her like a shield, guarding her from the demons that keep her awake.

At some time in the night, Adora’s warm body presses against Catra, her breath hot as she begins placing a trail of kisses down the nape of Catra’s neck. Catra rolls over, quickly melting into Adora’s lips, a sigh of relief escaping her as she lets out the tension she’s been holding in her body for several days now. Without restraint, Adora runs her fingers through Catra’s long slick hair, pulling Catra closer to her face while Adora gently explores inside of Catra’s mouth.

Catra kisses her back just as intensely, lightly tracing her tongue on the inside of Adora’s lips, taking whatever Adora will give to her. Adora pulls off Catra’s night shirt with ease and begins tracing her fingers down Catra’s stomach before dragging them back up to Catra’s breasts, cupping them in her brawny hands.

_How does that feel?_ Adora asks her, lightly teasing a nipple with her thumb while Catra arches into her touch.

_So good, Adora. I’ve wanted this for so long._ Catra moans at Adora’s gentle caresses while Adora traces her hands down to Catra’s underwear, stripping the final piece of clothing between them. Adora places a few soft, agonizing kisses just below her belly button while her hands make their way to Catra’s thighs, spreading them apart.

_Is this what you want?_

_Yes. Please fuck me, Adora. I need you._

Adora plants a wet open mouth kiss on her entrance, so close to her clit, and Adora’s mouth curls into a cocky grin as Catra writhes at her touch.

_Good girl._

Catra gasps awake, rapidly sitting up from her dream in a hot daze, her face and chest glistening with sweat, mingling with the scent of Adora’s hoodie. She quickly pulls off the hoodie, heart pounding while she tries to settle her breath. While she recoups her thoughts, she becomes distantly aware of the heat pooling between her legs and the bodily tension resulting from her vivid dream. That’s all it ever could be, Catra thinks, eyeing Adora’s hoodie. _A dream._

But maybe, before she returns Adora’s prized hoodie, Catra could let herself have one thing she desperately needs. Just for tonight.

Catra slips one hand under the fabric of her underwear, and her fingers quickly become coated in the slick she draws from her entrance up to her clit. She sighs, grasping Adora’s hoodie in her free hand, proceeding to smother her face with it, taking in as much of Adora as she can. This has never felt more right and wrong at the same time, Catra thinks as she rubs circles around the sensitive region, imagining how good Adora’s tongue would feel on her like this. _Way too good._ Catra moans as she lets her imagination get the best of her, overwhelmed by Adora’s intoxicating scent draped across her face while she strokes around her clit, already feeling so close to the edge.

_“Adora,”_ Catra barely whispers, testing Adora’s name on her lips, and it sends her spiraling, her climax crashing down on her abruptly. She moans Adora’s name again slightly louder while her orgasm passes in waves, continuing to circle around her clit, wanting to draw this out just a little longer. Eventually she comes down from her high, the reality of her actions sinking in while she pulls Adora’s hoodie away from her face.

Catra sighs, slipping under the covers of her bed. She takes hold of Adora’s hoodie, cradling it in her arms, holding close to her chest, inhaling the scent that will gradually dissipate with time. Catra should feel relieved. She’ll finally be able to sleep tonight.

Adora will never see this hoodie again.

* * *

#### Adora (Now)

Adora washes her hands, then greets Glimmer and Bow on their couch, while the two still binge _The Owl House._

“Hey,” Adora sighs, plopping herself down on the couch next to them.

“Take care of that thing?” Glimmer asks, seemingly unaware of Adora’s antics.

“Yep. All taken care of,” Adora replies, feeling her cheeks grow warmer.

“Glad to hear it,” Bow huffs, beaming at his friends.

“Look,” Adora says, feeling her nerves creep up again, “if I wanted to look nice at the Volley Ball... not that I-I have a date or anyone I want to impress... could you both help me with that?”

“Adora, say no more,” Glimmer chirps, already giddy at Adora’s proposal.

“Best friends squad: Makeover edition!” Bow yells, jumping up from the couch.

Adora actually smiles, letting herself enjoy an afternoon with her friends, two little lights that manage to pierce the gray clouds that have loomed above her head for far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning explanation/milder summary of skipped scene: Shadow Weaver pushes Catra past her physical limitations, exacerbating a minor injury into something more severe. When Catra tries to leave, Shadow Weaver says she will call Coach Huntara to revoke Adora's FZU scholarship, using that a threat to coerce Catra into continuing the exercises. Catra stays until Adora intervenes.  
> .  
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> SPOILERS
> 
> So I'm glad we made it through that chapter. 
> 
> Have a dumb joke to lighten your spirits: 
> 
> “Do you have a date for the Volley Ball?” Glimmer asks Adora.
> 
> “Wait the what now?” Adora nearly chokes on a laugh.
> 
> “I know the name is fucking stupid,” Glimmer says with a nervous chuckle. “But it’s a necessary plot device to bring together all of the volleyball players in the Etherian league in one neutral location so shit can totally go down. Chapter 6 is going to be super messy.”
> 
> \--
> 
> My gf reading this: please feed us already. this is cruel.  
> Me: sorry for all of the bread crumbs  
> Also me: here have another bread crumb
> 
> y'all saw all of these tags and probably thought damn they fuck already? and i'm just here giving you guys TWO separate masturbation scenes. after all this time. maybe a power move? idk it was imaginative enough that i genuinely felt i needed to include additional tags, dont tell me i'm wrong here.
> 
> what the FUCK is this chapter? the 5 times catradora kissed +the 1 time Adora told Catra to fuck off?? seriously op, STOP this madness.
> 
> we all know adora is really into her own hoodies but catra has a hoodie!kink in this fic ok
> 
> This chapter was pretty brutal for me to write and read so i feel the need to throw all of my dumb jokes in the endnotes so people can hopefully be a little less sad.
> 
> and dont worry the drama is going to wrap up in a series of tidal waves coming very soon :)


	6. out of my system

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Volley Ball aka disaster lesbian convention
> 
> it's going to get messy

#### Adora & Catra (Now)

“How do I look?” Adora poses the question to her two teammates while sauntering into the living room wearing a mid-length, high-neck red dress. 

“The dress looks amazing, Adora,” Bow huffs, clutching at his bare stomach. The sparkle-crop duo rock matching purple and white outfits with Bow in a slender white suit and a cropped purple dress shirt and Glimmer in a short, lavender dress.  
  
“But,” Glimmer adds, making no attempt to hide her grimace. “Your makeup…it’s… let’s just say I didn’t realize it was _possible_ to put mascara on so unevenly until now. But you did it, Adora. You really did it.” 

Glimmer’s brutal honesty tugs on a sensitive nerve, and Adora frowns, her face burning with underlying feelings of inadequacy that she’s normally better able to suppress. “Can you help me, Glimmer? I-I’m pretty terrible at this,” Adora stammers.

“Yes. Let’s fix you up.” Glimmer leads Adora to her room, which smells faintly of bath bombs and perfume. After handing Adora a make-up wipe, Glimmer digs through a few makeup bags to pull out a bunch of different colorful palettes and brushes of different shapes. The sparkly, pink-haired setter owns an intimidating amount of makeup, and she knows how to use it all too. “Lie down,” Glimmer requests, patting the bed.

“Why?”

“Because you’re a fucking tree, Adora. Lie down.” 

Not one to question the authority of Glimmer’s makeup skills, Adora does as she’s told and stretches across the bed, knowing she’s in good hands with Glimmer. Her smaller teammate climbs on top of her, straddling Adora at her hips while she pulls out a variety of liquid, powdery, and colorful products. 

Adora is gaping at the ceiling absentmindedly when suddenly one of Glimmer’s fingers is lightly pushing into Adora’s mouth, pressing into her front teeth. “Lipstick,” Glimmer explains, withdrawing a finger that grazes against Adora’s lower lip.

Glimmer leans in closer to Adora’s face, doing _something_ to Adora, but all that Adora can process is that it tickles. Something brushes against Adora’s nose and her face contorts, and she involuntarily kicks out a leg. “Sorry... _sorry,”_ Adora repeats with nervous laughter as Glimmer huffs down at her.

“Stop shaking,” Glimmer sighs, rolling her eyes at Adora, still twitching and giggling underneath her. “You have no chill whatsoever.”

“I could say the same about you,” Adora teases back, grinning smugly at her hot-tempered roommate.

“Do you want to look good for Catra or not?” Glimmer’s judgmental glare bores into her, threatening to shatter the last remaining piece of Adora’s self-esteem.

“Uh…” Adora mumbles, her eyes going wide and cheeks flushing while she’s unable to come up with a witty response having been called out so bluntly. 

“We won’t need any more blush, certainly,” Glimmer says with a devilish smirk, leaning in closer as she tickles Adora’s eyelashes with a new device.

Adora should have known better than to play with fire. “Okay, I get it,” Adora sighs, while Glimmer rolls off her, having finished the job. “How do I look?”

Glimmer offers a hand to help Adora from the bed. “Much better. You’re so very welcome,” Glimmer tuts while she admires her own work. “And take your hair down. I think it’s a good look on you.”

Adora pulls out her taut hair band and ruffles her hair out. “How about that?”  
  
“Perfect.” A notification dings on Glimmer’s phone. “The limo is ready.”

_Of course it is. Geez, Glimmer._

\-----

The limo veers away behind the Best Friends Squad, while they take in the sight of the Etherian Volley Ball. For the occasion, the interior of the FZU gymnasium has been redecorated with volleyball-themed garlands hung precariously from wall to wall, surrounding a huge disco ball over the dance floor, made to resemble a volleyball. 

“It’s horrifying,” Glimmer says, immersed in the decor now that they’ve made it to the dance floor. “But we’re going to take this party down and show everyone who they need to fear going into playoff season.” 

Adora is about to chime in, but then she sees _her_. More accurately, Adora sees a glimpse of the back of Catra’s head because her back is pressed into the front of Lonnie’s body while they dance along to the slow, bass-heavy music. Adora feels her throat drying up the longer she watches.

“We’re even fashionably late like you wanted. You’re so scary, babe.”

Adora’s attention lasers in on her target. Like any good Fright Zone player at the Etherian Volley Ball, Catra has dressed sharply for the occasion, donning a dark maroon suit with a lighter dress shirt tucked into sleek, fitting pants. A loose bowtie carefully dangles from her neck, and she sports tight black fingerless gloves that complement a matching pair on her feet. Her short hair is slicked back, save for a stubborn lock or two that hang over her face. 

_Wait, did Bow just say babe?_

Adora can only stare in shock as the two sway together, slowly turning around until a fierce pair of blue and amber eyes locks with her gaze from across the dance floor. Lonnie’s hands make their way to Catra’s waist while they dance along to the beat in an increasingly suggestive manner. Adora can’t look for much longer. The magma in Adora’s chest begins to chill into a cold, calloused rock that drops into the pit of her stomach, and she turns her attention back to Glimmer and Bow. 

“I’m _am_ very scary!” Glimmer yells, giggling while Bow lifts her into a tight hug.

_What the fuck is happening?_

“What the fuck is happening?” Adora genuinely has to ask, because she has just returned to reality from the latest dimension of Catra-mindfuckery.

“Adora?” Bow sets down Glimmer gently, seemingly concerned while he scans Adora’s face for clues. “Are you alright?” 

Still in shock over seeing Catra have an actual date, Adora feels a deep urge to run away somewhere.… Her throat is so parched, it hurts to swallow. “Y-yeah,” Adora says, voice hoarse. “But I’m really thirsty, so I’m going to hit up the bar for some water. Why don’t you guys do your own thing, and I’ll catch up with you both later?”

Even though Adora would like to stay with Glimmer and Bow, Adora knows that if anything is going to happen for her roommate, she needs to let them have some time alone.

“See you later then!” Glimmer calls out while Adora is already shuffling off to the bar.

* * *

Catra still hasn’t seen Adora in the venue, but she can detect Adora’s scent approaching, so she has to act quickly. The last time they had interacted, she was so close to breaking Adora, and with the right amount of prodding, maybe she can finally get her to cave.

Dressed in matching black suits, Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio triangulate, grooving to the loud dance music. Catra hates asking for favors - signs of weakness, but she cautiously approaches the three, addressing Lonnie. “So can I ask...” Catra starts, yelling over the music but trying not to let her own embarrassment get the way of a greater plan at stake. “What’s the deal with you and Rogelio? Are you guys like, a _thing_ now?” 

“Rogelio is my boyfriend,” Lonnie replies close to her ear, raising an eyebrow, definitely suspicious of whatever Catra is scheming. “Why do you care?”

“But isn’t he Kyle’s boyfriend?” Catra asks, eyeing the other two. The situation with Adora is urgent, but Catra’s own curiosity stalls her, seeking answers.  
  
The huge lizard grunts and whines, raising his arms in frustration.

“He is my boyfriend,” Kyle speaks on Rogelio’s behalf, looking up admirably at his lizard companion. “I love the smokey eye on you tonight, babe,” he says wrapping an arm around Rogelio’s bicep. Rogelio wheezes contentedly and ruffles Kyle’s hair affectionately. 

“Rogelio is my boyfriend, and Kyle is Rogelio’s boyfriend. It’s really not that complicated,” Lonnie explains, clearly having given this lecture multiple times before.  
  
“Okay so,” Catra pauses, fiddling with her loose bowtie, “I’m starting to get it, but the thing is, Adora doesn’t know about you and Rogelio. So... I’m kind of hoping you could do me a _tiny_ favor right now.” 

“And what is that favor?” Lonnie crosses her arms with a calloused, judgmental scowl.

“Can you fake date me to make Adora jealous?” Catra asks in a rush because she is picking up stronger traces of Adora’s scent with each passing second.   
  
“Catra, that is some seriously fucked up shit,” Lonnie sighs, looking back at her boys and to Catra again. 

“Okay, I get it. I’m sorry for even asking.”  
  
“But sure I’ll help you,” Lonnie says with a mischievous chuckle, taking Catra by the hand to the dance floor.  
  
“Oh, _thank god.”_

\--

Catra can almost smell the disappointment coming off Adora while she grinds against Lonnie. She hasn’t even turned around to face Adora, but by the time she has circled about, Adora seems to be in total shock, ogling the two of them from across the dance floor. 

The sleeveless red dress Adora is wearing would be modest on anyone else but it’s indecent for anyone’s biceps to stick out like that, and her skirt length is free to show off those tree trunks for thighs peeking out from underneath. Worst of all, Adora’s hair is down from its usual ponytail. It’s almost like she knows that’s Catra’s biggest weakness, with how it cascades to her shoulders, begging to be stroked and pulled. 

_Focus..._

Catra tries her best to vanquish those blue eyes from across the dance floor with her own ferocity, using every bit of willpower to not let her gaze wander to the more distracting parts of Adora. Her plan seems to be working because Adora's expression shifts from shock to something a bit more concerning, her eyebrows wrinkling in that stupid, adorable...

“Put your hands on my waist,” Catra whispers to Lonnie, who is still pressed against her from behind, and Lonnie obliges, moving her hands lower while Catra stares down Adora. As far as Catra can tell, Adora isn’t even breathing, frozen in place until Glimmer and Bow start distracting her again, saying something that Catra can’t quite pick up.

“Okay,” Lonnie says, removing her hands from Catra’s waist and dropping them to her sides. “This isn’t right.”

“What are you doing?” Catra scowls at her dance partner.

“Not _this_ anymore _._ This is going too far,” Lonnie says, placing a firm hand on Catra’s shoulder. She has almost a parental demeanor, the way she addresses Catra.

“It was _working!”_ Catra argues, her tone edging with exasperation, because _clearly_ Adora had reacted to it.

“No,” Lonnie sighs patiently. “It’s not right to play with people’s feelings like they’re some sort of game. Kyle and Rogelio and I keep things honest between us. If you want something with Adora, you need to be honest with her. Otherwise, what do you have to gain from hurting her?”

Catra has taken a few volleyballs to the face, but she has never been slapped harder in her life. “You don’t know what happened between us,” Catra whispers, folding her arms, trying to close off her walls but Lonnie has managed to unleash a wrecking ball of guilt onto her. She has been making Adora feel like shit, and for what? She hasn’t felt better at all. “It’s… it’s complicated,” Catra sighs, relenting to Lonnie’s sensibilities. 

“I don’t know what happened,” Lonnie says after a moment, “but I still think you should talk to her.”

When Lonnie departs, Adora is already out of sight. Catra knows Adora is still here and that she _should_ find Adora and apologize for messing with her. She shouldn’t have involved anyone else in their feuds in the first place. What’s easier than apologizing, though, is what’s most familiar to her. 

Running away is Catra’s own _choice_ to make. She never chose for Adora to keep secrets from her. She never chose for Adora to mess with her head. But she can choose this.

Catra breaks into a stride, desperate to leave this horrible party, but on her way, she spots the back of a tall, muscular, white-haired woman in a satin black, open-back gown. Scorpia raises her pincer to stroke a flower petal in her date’s hair, and Perfuma nuzzles into Scorpia’s chest while they sway along to the song.

Their simple affection is a punch in the gut for Catra, who has never allowed herself to have something so uncomplicated in her life. Everything has been easy for Scorpia and Perfuma since the beginning of their relationship, and Catra resents them for it. She also hates herself for resenting _that_ , like she would ever let herself have something so straightforward.

Maybe there’s a chance that Lonnie is right. That all she has to do is open up to Adora, even if it’s about one small thing. Maybe Adora would accept a truce from her after all of these pointless games they’ve played, even though Catra knows there is a fair chance that Adora might reject her or hurt her again.

As soon as Catra has decided what she wants, the universe is already trying to take it from her. Catra traces Adora’s scent to the bar where her idiot is gulping water unbelievably fast, when another woman approaches Adora from the other side of the bar. Catra’s instincts peak the fur on her neck before she even recognizes the other woman – a threat to _everything_ Catra has just allowed herself to want for the first time. 

Maybe she should let Adora find something comfortable and safe with this woman, something like the bond Scorpia and Perfuma share with each other. Because Catra knows that they could never have something like that, so she _should_ let Adora have someone else. But she _can’t_ because her legs give her no choice, transporting her to the bar, despite every neuron in her brain screaming that she shouldn’t do this. 

Catra should probably turn around, but she can’t help herself, possessed by this faraway interaction until she gets within earshot, her blood simmering with envy from what she overhears. She can’t stifle the rising growl in her chest, locking onto the enemy in sight. 

* * *

“Thank you,” Adora says to the bartender, quickly downing the glass of water, when a tall woman catches her attention.

“I’ve never seen a girl pound water the way you do, Adora,” a warm, vaguely familiar voice murmurs from her left.

“Mara?” Adora gasps, nearly choking on her water as she turns to face the taller woman who is leaning against the bar, chin angled down at her.  
  
“I didn’t think you’d recognize me without my Dryl uniform,” Mara says, gesturing to her outfit, a teal dress shirt tucked into an off-white suit with wide shoulder pads. “Nice seeing you again, here of all places.” 

“I-uh, nice seeing you too,” Adora whispers, clearing her throat of some water that went down the wrong tube. “Competitive volleyball is a small world. Where do you play now?”  
  
“I’m a center blocker at First Ones University,” Mara replies smoothly, gray eyes tracing the shape of Adora’s face. “Do you remember when I approached you after our game a couple of years ago?”

“Oh, of course,” Adora blurts, recalling the memory. She had felt so flustered and intimidated that day, sitting on the bench while Mara spoke with her.

“Well, I was wondering if anything has changed since then.” Mara rests her hand on Adora’s back, lightly stroking her fingertips across Adora’s shoulder blade over her dress. “Have you had enough time to ‘focus on yourself’ like you said?”

“I-uh,” Adora stammers, her cheeks flush with heat. “I-I guess that I have.”

“Because,” Mara murmurs, her warmth closer to Adora’s face, “if you’re looking for something, I’d love to be a distraction for you, baby.”

Adora’s eyes go wide while she struggles to come up with a reply, but she doesn’t have to, not when a raspy voice growls loudly behind her.

 _“HEY!”_ Catra yells at the taller woman, her fists balled up so tightly her claws almost pierce the skin in her palms. “Back _off.”_ Catra’s fur is bristling along her tail and even on the exposed parts of her neck that her short hair and maroon suit fail to conceal.

“Catra?” Adora falters, and a pair of mismatched eyes sweeps over to meet hers. Catra’s expression shifts from hostile to _fear_ the moment she looks at Adora, as if she were lost and confused as to how she got here – like she somehow _didn’t_ intend to confront this woman.

They stare at each other in unspoken communication until Mara intervenes. “I get it,” Mara says stiffly. “You don’t need to focus on yourself, Adora. It sounds like you already have a _little_ distraction to keep you busy,” Mara snarks with a grin at Catra, before exiting the bar, leaving the two alone.

“I’m not little!” Catra snaps at the woman who has already walked away from the conversation. Reaching a hand up to her hair, Catra weaves her fingers through a few tufts, tugging on her hair, before she directs her attention to Adora. “Shit,” Catra mumbles after a while. “I shouldn’t have involved anyone else in this.” Still red in the face, Catra huffs a few breaths until the snarl in her throat weakens into a low whine. “I-I can go after her-”

“What was that, Catra?” Adora accuses, finally coming out of her own state of shock. “Were you actually…” Adora snorts, ready to call out Catra for her behavior until Catra drops her tail timidly behind herself, coiling around her own leg in the way that Adora knows is a comfort mechanism. “I thought you were here with Lonnie,” Adora says instead, hoping she can pry _something_ from Catra before the other girl runs away again.

“I-I...” Catra stutters, scrunching her face as she takes hold of Adora’s arm, squeezing lightly. “I wasn’t here with Lonnie,” she admits, still holding onto Adora’s arm but loosening her grip. Catra’s face wrinkles with torment, like she’s being pulled in two different directions. 

“So you came over here to make sure I could be alone just like you? That’s low, even for you.”

“No! I just… I only wanted to make you jealous, but when I saw _her_ again, it reminded me of that awful feeling in my stomach. Or maybe I read this wrong… I can just–I’ll go.”

While Catra releases her grip on Adora’s arm, Adora takes Catra lightly by her wrist, urging her to stay. “Wait,” Adora says, searching desperately in Catra’s blue and yellow eyes for anything that will tell her what she wants to hear. “So you were jealous of her?”

“Are you that stupid?” Catra challenges with a scoff before biting down the tremble in her lip, but everything pours out all at once. “Of course I was jealous, you idiot. I was jealous because _I_ want to touch you like that. Because… I-I want to kiss you again and feel you close to me like we used to do,” she rasps, blue and yellow eyes flicking to Adora’s gaze with a tenderness in them Adora hasn’t seen in months. “I’ve wanted you for years, Adora,” Catra whispers hoarsely, tucking herself into Adora’s chest, hugging Adora like she never wants to let go.

 _I’ve wanted you for years._

Adora is out of breath at the confession that hits her like a stack of bricks, her heart rapidly drumming in her ears, dulling out the sensations of anything that isn't Catra. “I’m such an idiot,” Adora whispers as she leans into Catra’s shoulder, pressing her face into Catra’s soft, flush neck. “You actually wanted me like that?” 

“For a long time,” Catra affirms, nuzzling her cheek into Adora’s neck, melting the last of Adora’s inhibitions with the words Adora has needed to hear from Catra for so long. “And I don’t want to hear anyone else call you _baby,_ ” she hisses.

“I want you too, Catra,” Adora murmurs as she pulls away to face her, finally letting herself admit this to Catra, having already heard her ex-teammate’s declaration. Catra _whimpers_ at Adora’s response, eagerly sinking into Adora’s lips with a long breath, her claws lightly pricking Adora’s back while she kisses Adora intensely, taking in the warm familiarity of each other’s lips. While they deepen the kiss, Catra strokes a hand through her hair.

Adora is so drunk on Catra’s confession, she can barely think of anything besides how soft Catra’s lips are, how good Catra feels when her tongue lightly teases Adora’s upper lip, how right it feels to have Catra’s fingers weave through her hair while they kiss, knowing that Catra actually wants this. Catra wants _her._

“Are we actually going to do this?” Catra asks, pulling away from the kiss, eyes blown out, breathy, and lips swollen.

Intoxicated on Catra’s reactions right now, Adora is too high to hold back from her own honesty. “I touched myself thinking about what you said on the rooftop,” Adora whispers, and Catra shudders, purring into Adora’s shoulder, folding her fingers inwardly, probably to avoid scratching Adora while she embraces her more tightly. Catra plants a kiss at the base of Adora’s neck, and it sends a fresh wave of heat between her legs.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Catra whispers into Adora’s ear, easing her hips into Adora while they hold each other like this.

Adora has never agreed to anything more quickly in her entire life. 

\--

Even though they depart from the FZU gymnasium, they go the extra mile to Adora’s apartment at Catra’s insistence. Adora can’t help herself from teasing Catra about it.

“You just want to be _taken_ in my bed don’t you,” Adora goads her on.

“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a consideration,” Catra hums, threatening a claw over the front of Adora’s dress. 

“You wouldn’t.... _Catra!_ ” Adora’s eyes go wide as she meets Catra’s roguish smirk and flick back to the precariously placed claw, still pressing on the neckline of her red dress. Catra moves up to trace the claw up the side of Adora’s neck instead, and Adora gasps at the light contact against her skin. 

“I think we both know what I’m capable of,” Catra murmurs, and Adora finally manages to turn the key with all of the determination in the world, opening the front door to her apartment. 

“So… do you want a tour?” Adora asks sheepishly, stepping inside to show Catra the living room, but even she can’t take her own question seriously.

“Hmm,” Catra murmurs as if she were legitimately pondering the offer. She straps onto Adora from behind, hooking her arms around so that her palms grip Adora’s shoulders like a backpack. “How about you show me the bedroom first?” Catra suggests, breathing into the back of Adora’s neck. 

“I could get behind that.” Adora bends down to grab underneath Catra’s thighs, picking up her smaller ex-teammate who lets out a yelp in surprise as she’s lifted off the ground. She carries Catra piggyback style to her bedroom, with Catra’s legs fastening around her waist.

On the trek over, Adora’s hair is pulled aside while Catra kisses and lightly nibbles on her neck. Slowly, Catra traces her sharp canines up and around the sensitive, flush skin. It’s about as threatening as it is hot, fueling the burning need between her own legs.

* * *

When Catra thought she’d be riding Adora tonight, this wasn’t quite what she had pictured, but she isn’t mad about it either. She closes the door shut behind them with her tail, meanwhile Adora reaches to grip onto Catra’s ass, swinging Catra around to her front so they face each other.

“Wow,” Adora sighs, grinning like the dork she is, and Catra urgently meets her lips, kissing Adora while she’s being carried like this, supported in her strong arms.

Catra feels like she is kissing Adora for the first time, like she’s kissing a _new_ Adora, because this Adora kisses her with more fervor than every other time they’ve done this before. With one hand gripping under Catra’s ass, Adora lets her other hand wander up Catra’s back, fingers eventually finding root in Catra’s hair. Adora actually pulls Catra _closer_ the longer they take each other’s lips. 

The effortlessness of it almost makes Catra apprehensive, like this is simply too good to be true. But it feels so right to sink into Adora’s lips, to be handled by her this way, to feel Adora’s chiseled abs pressing between her legs. Adora’s tongue slips against her bottom lip, and Catra moans into it, letting her tongue gently explore Adora’s mouth.

Catra is reminded of the warm need pooling between her legs, and she lets herself grind slightly into Adora’s hardened stomach while they make out, relieving some of her desperate need.

“Mmm,” Adora pulls away from her lips, and instead of wearing that endearing smile, she smirks confidently. It’s too late for Catra. Adora has already become self-aware of the infuriating effect she has on her. “You really want this, huh?”

Catra can’t tell if she hates smug Adora or if she’s even more turned on by her, but she shamelessly grinds her hips harder into Adora’s abs, already feeling the tension ramp up in her body. A bit more of this, and it won’t be long until she comes. 

But then Adora’s hands tighten their grip on Catra’s ass again, firmly holding her in place so Catra can’t fuck herself against Adora anymore.

“What’s your problem?” Catra grumbles impatiently. She doesn’t have the stamina for Adora’s teasing when she can already feel how wet and turned on she is. She just needs a hard surface to grind on or Adora’s fingers inside of her, ramming her into the mattress.

“I want to hear you say it again,” Adora insists, guiding Catra to the bed and gently plopping Catra down on her back while Adora props herself up with outstretched arms on either side of Catra’s head. 

_“Ugh,_ ” Catra grunts, relenting to Adora’s antics so she’ll finally relieve the throbbing pain between her legs, “I want you.”

“I think you could be a bit more descriptive,” Adora says, tucking a strand of hair behind Catra’s ear, _really_ testing the limits of Catra’s patience.

“That wasn’t good enough for you?” Catra scoffs, tugging on the neckline of Adora’s dress to bring Adora closer to her face. “Fine… I want you to shut the fuck up and do something else with that stupid mouth of yours, and then I want you to pin me down and finger fuck me until I can’t take it anymore. Happy?”

“Yes, I am actually,” Adora grins down at her like she just won a trophy.

Catra can let Adora have a win. Just one time. And then she’ll make Adora beg for it when it’s her turn to be fucked. She could stand to have Adora say that she wants Catra a hundred times or so. It would hardly make a dent in the number of times Adora has refused to admit it, as much as Catra has tried to coax it out of her.

Adora bends her elbows to lie flat against Catra, finally close enough to kiss again. While they make out, one of Adora’s hands travels down to her waist, and another makes its way behind Catra’s head, tousling her hair.

Kissing Adora like this is satisfying yet agonizing, and Catra’s senses are overwhelmed but in the _best_ kind of way. The whole room is soaked with the scent of Adora: earthy, salty… pine trees? Catra can never quite place it other than _Adora._

Catra shrugs out of her suit coat while Adora works the top button on her dress shirt. Adora runs a hand up from Catra’s stomach stopping just below her breast while she undos the buttons of Catra’s dress shirt with her other hand.

“Can I touch you here?” Adora asks in between kisses, her hand so close and yet so far from where Catra wants it right now.

“Please,” Catra whispers, sealing her lips with Adora’s again, grabbing the skirt of Adora’s dress. 

Adora’s hand slides under Catra’s shirt to cup her breast, teasing a nipple with her thumb. The sensation only intensifies the black hole of need in the pit of Catra’s stomach, and she lets out a moan into Adora’s mouth before coming up for air and pulling Adora’s dress over her head.

Catra momentarily forgets her own needs when she’s confronted with the one article of clothing between herself and Adora’s tits. She pushes against Adora’s chest so that they both sit upright, and Catra fumbles with the hooks on the back of Adora’s bra, her claws itching to slice evil contraption off. 

“Having trouble?” Adora teases, running a hand up Catra’s thigh.

“Fuck off.”

Finally, the clasp opens with a pop, and Adora’s bra falls in her own lap. 

“Holy shit,” Catra blatantly gawks, and sure, she’s seen Adora’s tits before, but for the first time, she actually lets herself _look_ at them _._

“Like what you see?” Adora says, because Catra has been watering at the mouth for too long, observing every curve of Adora’s body with an indecent level of focus and even lewder intentions.

“Adora, your tits have haunted me for years, and now I actually get to _touch_ them.” Catra presses Adora down on the bed at her shoulders, straddling Adora at the waist, taking in the sight of Adora’s muscular body splayed beneath her. “I really needed this…” She runs her hands down from Adora’s shoulders, squeezing Adora’s breasts in her hands, purring contentedly when the other girl sighs at her touch. 

“That feels good,” Adora breathes, running her hands up Catra’s thighs over her pants. “Why are you still wearing these? I mean that suit was ridiculously hot on you, but I want to touch you.”

_I want to touch you._

“Fuck, Adora,” Catra shudders hearing Adora say that to her, unprepared for how much she would be turned on by such a sweet, honest remark. 

* * *

Adora inclines to let Catra sit in her lap, unbuttoning the rest of Catra’s already half-off dress shirt and tossing it aside. Catra begins grinding into her again and _damn,_ if it isn't the hottest thing Adora has ever witnessed, having Catra unravel in her lap. With the new proximity to Catra’s tits, Adora sinks her face into them, kissing, biting, and sucking on the tender muscle while she lets her hands wander over Catra’s stomach and waist.

Eventually, Adora draws her tongue over a nipple and flicks lightly on the tip, enjoying the breathy moan that comes out of Catra’s throat.

“I need you to fuck me now,” Catra pleads, her voice cracked.

Adora _needs_ to fuck Catra just as badly, so she wraps an arm around Catra’s back and lowers her onto the bed, unzipping her dress pants, nearly ripping the pants off her while she tugs them past her ankles, only a pair of boyshorts between them now.

“Do you trust me?” Adora asks, latching a finger on the band of Catra’s underwear. 

“Adora, if there’s anyone I trust with my body, it’s you.”

Catra lifts her hips to let Adora slide the boyshorts off her and as soon as there is clearance, Adora nuzzles herself between Catra’s thighs. 

Adora grips Catra’s thighs, spreading her legs apart, every instinct urging Adora to taste her, but she can’t let Catra get off easy, even if she wants to fuck Catra just as badly. Adora plants a kiss on Catra’s inner thigh and grins while Catra blinks slowly back at her, eyes completely blown out.

“Are you going to fuck me or be an asshole?” Catras goads but the tremor in her voice reveals too much. 

“Aww, you’re so cute when you’re mad, babe,” Adora teases back a bit too confidently, and she almost doesn’t realize her slip up until Catra’s thighs clench around her head.

_Did I just say… oh fuck…_

Adora has one move left and she strokes her tongue from Catra’s entrance up to her clit slowly but effectively, because Catra already releases a loud moan from the contact, entangling her fingers with Adora’s hair. She alternates between kissing and licking, building Catra up and holding her off, and it doesn’t take long for Catra to completely unwind.

“Adora…” Catra groans, and Adora can practically feel the frustration in Catra’s body with how she latches onto Adora’s hair.

“Mmm,” Adora kisses her squarely and angles her chin up, licking her own lips.

“I’m going to go insane if you don’t fuck me harder than this.” Catra is really trying her best to appear threatening, but her breathless, shaky voice gives away her own neediness. “Fingers… need them inside…”

“Like this?” Adora slides one finger in the first thrust and adds her second finger in the next and begins pumping at a slow pace.

“More. Faster… please.” Catra arches into her touch while Adora increases her pace and sinks her face into Catra’s pussy, finally giving in to her own urge to fuck Catra harder, how they both want it. Adora has never been this aroused, her face pressed up against Catra’s warmth, every sweet sound she draws from Catra’s mouth a reminder of how good she is making Catra feel right now. Adora wants Catra to come in her mouth, wants to feel Catra’s walls tighten and throb against her fingers because _she_ is the one fucking her.

“Adora… I’m gonna…” Catra’s grasp tightens on Adora’s hair and her thighs squeeze Adora’s head while Adora keeps thrusting her fingers inside of Catra relentlessly, stroking her tongue over her clit when Catra lets out a sobbing moan, her walls pulsating around Adora’s fingers. Adora keeps thrusting into it and curls her fingers up to draw out Catra’s orgasm and maybe even coax another from her. 

Catra is writhing with every pump of Adora’s fingers and every stroke of her tongue. She grinds her hips into Adora’s fingers, fucking herself into a second orgasm while she moans Adora’s name even louder. 

Adora slows down her pumps, guiding Catra back down to her level, content in resting her head on Catra’s thigh, admiring the sweet view of Catra’s post-orgasmic glow, lying between her legs. Adora licks her lips, and Catra reaches under Adora’s arms to pull Adora close to her face, their fronts pressed together while Adora lies on top of her.

She feels genuinely satisfied after fucking Catra, not that she doesn’t have needs of her own. Catra nuzzles into Adora’s neck, breathless and quiet, like Adora had somehow fucked the sass out of her. 

Catra takes Adora by her hand, bringing the fingers that fucked her to her lips. She runs her tongue in a circle over Adora's fingertips before she wraps her lips around Adora’s fingers, taking them into her mouth while she swirls her tongue around them, drinking in her own juices. 

“Fuck, Catra,” Adora whispers, no longer content and satisfied, immediately reminded of her own needs while her jaw drops open, eyes fixated on Catra sucking her fingers, coated with her arousal.

Catra withdraws her mouth from Adora’s fingers, and Adora immediately misses the warmth in their absence, until Catra surges into her lips, kissing her while they tangle their legs together on the bed.

Before Adora realizes it, Catra has made her way on top of her while they make out, her hands running to Adora’s waist, stopping at her underwear, and Catra pulls away from the kiss, raising an eyebrow. “Can I?”

“Yes, please,” Adora whispers, closing her eyes, until she hears the sound of ripping fabric and snaps them open again.

“Shit...”  
  
“Did you just…?”  
  
“I got _excited!_ ”

Adora takes a moment of silence to grieve her panties while Catra sighs, tossing away the torn strips of fabric. Their legs slip and interweave while they roll around in bed making out together. Catra grinds her hips into Adora, pressing a thigh between her legs, and Adora lets out an involuntary _mewl_ at the pressure of it.

“Do you want this?” Catra asks, definitely aware of how turned on Adora is, the way Catra smirks at her right now. Adora can feel how wet and sensitive she is, all from making Catra feel so good.

“Yes, please…” Adora whines hoarsely, trying to press herself against Catra’s leg wedged between hers. 

“Adora, you made me wait for so long. I’m only returning the favor.” Adora’s thighs clench Catra’s leg with so much force, Adora worries that she hurt Catra until she sees Catra let out a low gasp, eyes dark with lust.

“Catra, please fuck me,” Adora begs this time, grinding her hips harder into Catra, eyes rolling into the back of her head, desperate for some shred of relief that Catra won’t seem to give to her.

“Hmm,” Catra hums, tracing a few claws down the side of Adora’s neck and licking her own lips which only adds to Adora’s frustration. “I think you could be a bit more descriptive.” 

“You’re such a tease,” Adora groans, approaching the limits of Catra’s teasing before she’ll have to take care of matters herself.  
  
“Doesn’t feel good being on the other end of it, does it?” 

It doesn’t but also it _does._ Adora shudders, moving her hips up again, desperate for any relief Catra will give to her. 

“Fuck,” Adora huffs, trying to grind her hips up but Catra has moved her thigh away so she can’t get herself off. “Catra I want you… I really want you to touch me.”

Catra lowers herself to kiss along Adora’s breasts and squeeze them in her hands. Her tongue slips over a nipple, and Adora moans and clutches at Catra’s hair. Adora really wants Catra to stay here and keep teasing her, but more than that, she wants Catra’s tongue somewhere else on her body.

Taking her sweet time, Catra kisses and bites her way down Adora’s stomach, driving Adora to the brink of insanity, as she teases Adora's nipples with light traces of her fingertips. Every inch that Catra gets closer to where Adora wants her, Adora becomes more sensitive and aware of her own arousal, so desperate for the relief Catra’s mouth would provide.

“Fucking me did this to you...” Catra observes the wetness between Adora’s legs from close up, her mouth hanging open slightly. She seems pleased with herself, refocusing her gaze to Adora’s eyes, baring fangs while she grins, cocky as ever.

“Yes,” Adora admits, willing to say whatever Catra wants to hear if that’s what it’ll take for Catra to fuck her. “I need your mouth. Please, Catra… I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

Catra places a wet kiss just above her labia, smirking while she spreads Adora’s legs apart. Adora sighs, but it releases no tension in her body, her thighs twitching with need while she suppresses every urge to crush Catra’s head between them. Adora watches as Catra lowers her head again to stroke her tongue against Adora and _oh that feels so good_. Catra is actually eating her out. Adora can barely think clearly, but she thought for sure Catra would tease her for longer. Adora runs her fingers through Catra’s hair while Catra wraps her mouth around Adora’s clit, licking and sucking. 

The tension in Adora’s body is ramping up and Adora feels herself getting closer to the edge, her legs twitching. She is so close, but as soon as she feels the end approaching, Catra begins slowing her tongue.

“Why are you slowing down?” Adora asks but it’s more of a demand. She clears her throat, her face flush red from her own neediness. “I need to come,” Adora rephrases in a lower voice, swiveling her hips to fuck herself against Catra’s face because Catra’s tongue has slowed into almost _nothing._

“You’ll come when I let you come,” Catra says sternly, pressing a kiss at Adora’s entrance, and it awakens a fire between Adora’s legs, a flame that preferably Catra would extinguish with her mouth.

Adora begs with her eyes. “Please… Can you at least use your fingers inside of me? I need… I need _more.”_

Catra repositions herself from Adora’s thighs, making her way forward while Adora wraps her arms around Catra’s back. Their faces meet with a kiss, and Adora tastes herself on Catra’s lips while Catra’s fingers make their way to her entrance. One finger slips in, then another, and Adora sighs at the stretch of Catra’s fingers sliding all the way in, beginning to thrust. Starting with slow pumps, at Adora’s begging Catra switches to shorter bursts, then she ramps up the pace to fuck her really hard. Just when Adora thinks she is adjusting to the heightened sensations, Catra maneuvers her other hand to rub Adora’s clit, and the combo sends Adora spiraling quickly.

“Catra, I’m going to come,” Adora moans, legs twitching, nails digging into Catra’s back.

“Good,” Catra breathes into her face, maintaining her thrusting pace and strokes along Adora’s clit. “I need you to come for me. Now.”  
  
The order sends Adora hurtling off the edge, her walls clenching against Catra’s fingers. Catra lets out a groan while Adora arches into her, pressing their foreheads together while she rides out her climax. 

Adora remains lying down, breathless while Catra collapses onto her chest, and they hold each other for a while. For a moment, lost in her blissed state, Adora shuts her eyes.

\--

Rubbing her eyes, Adora wakes from her nap at the sensation of sheets tugging against her body. When her vision clears, Catra is zipping up her dress pants as if she were going home right now. “What are you doing?” Adora asks curiously, because Catra’s warmth is fading from her bed, and she wants it back.

“I’m leaving,” Catra says blankly, stringing the bow tie on her neck, not bothering to tie it.

“Why? You can spend the night… The bed is huge,” Adora chuckles nervously, a bit confused why Catra wouldn’t stay over since they’ve slept in the same bed dozens of times together. Surely, Catra would want to spend the night after they’ve just had sex.

“I-I really can’t be here anymore,” Catra asserts, her breath spacing each word like they weigh on her chest. She closes the buttons on her dress shirt with one stud at an uneven height but doesn’t bother trying to fix it, only worsening the error as she continues the task.

“Are you serious, Catra?” Adora asks, sitting up in bed, more aware of her own nakedness now that Catra is nearly dressed. “I thought you meant what you said about wanting all of those things... like we used to do. I thought maybe that included _sleeping together.”_

“Look,” Catra sighs, running a hand through her disheveled hair, “I _did_ mean it. I meant everything that I said to you. This was just something that I needed to get out of my system. I can’t trust you with my heart anymore. Not after everything that’s happened.” 

“B-but wait!” Adora blurts, her eyes searing hot, the tears welling in her eyes. “If you mean it... let’s do this. I don’t see why we can’t _try_ to make it work. Please, _please_ stay. Don’t leave now… I know I fucked up, but you can tell me how to be better.”

“I don’t owe that to you. I don’t owe you anything. Why don’t you go figure out your own fuck ups, Adora? It’s not my responsibility to explain how _you_ hurt me.”

The tears pour out, hot and painful, clouding Adora’s vision. “But we can still fix this–we can fix _us._ I know we can… I’m sure that we can…” Adora croaks, wishing Catra would believe her, stay. Maybe if she can finally explain to Catra why she changed her mind, Catra will stay.

“How could you possibly fix this? You broke my heart, Adora.”

“Please… Catra,” Adora chokes, willing herself to say _something_ more, but this is all she can muster.

“And I won’t let you do it again.” Catra adjusts her suit coat, and Adora watches in horror as the dream of their future together evaporates just as quickly as it had appeared. 

A beautiful wish gone in an instant, and now Adora is alone in her room, the faint warmth and smell of Catra still lingering on her sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these lesbians are literally so asdfsdfajkshdf it hurts to watch. it gives me great pain to have to write them like this but i can't control how they act. They give me no choice. This is how they are.
> 
> Yes, semi-finals comes up in the next chapter. No more bread crumbs from this point on, we are in full tidal-wave mode so brace yourselves. 
> 
> In case you are concerned the chapter count is 9 now instead of 10, the length of the fic hasn’t changed at all, 10 was always planned to be a short epilogue but i might combine elements of it with chapters 8&9 instead. Chapter 9 is already (kind of) a *bonus chapter*/smutty mistake as it is, so keep that information in mind as it pertains to your interests
> 
> Yes, the first scene is a reference to this [twitter meme](https://twitter.com/feralsapphic/status/1216090670064185345)
> 
> *Major character death* Adora’s underwear dies. rip :( but also :) but also :( 
> 
> I didn’t have time to write it in but shortly after the bar fiasco, Mara meets a lovely outside hitter from Crystal Castle Tech and they totally hit it off.
> 
> Anyway i hope you all appreciated the delicious suffering, see you next chapter :)


	7. semi-finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warnings:
> 
> References to Adora’s self-harm from chapter 2 (boxing incident) & brief contemplative behavior  
> Consensual hair/ponytail-pulling, mild subdrop
> 
> i know things have been crazy lately so i stayed up until 5 am last night finishing up this monster of a chapter so ppl could have some food in light of everything rn <3

#### Adora (Now)

Adora doesn’t sleep that night. 

The night was over as quickly as it began, the warmth of Catra completely gone from her bed, only the faint smell of Catra’s hair clinging to her pillow after the whole ordeal, a scent that would probably fade by morning.

Adora lies awake, her eyes burning a hole into the ceiling. 

Catra said that she has wanted her _for years._

Adora still can’t wrap her head around it, because if that’s true then maybe Adora should challenge Catra to another boxing match and let Catra take out her frustration again. Maybe Adora deserves that for what she did. She wouldn’t think twice about taking the blows if it somehow helped Catra—if it would salvage any kind of relationship they could have together. 

But Adora can’t do that because she knows it won’t work, especially not after how Catra reacted last time. 

After losing herself in Catra’s confession this evening, Adora had quite literally _jumped_ on the opportunity presented to her without considering what it meant for Catra to admit that to her. If Catra was honest with her, then Adora has majorly, hopelessly fucked something up, and she doesn’t know how the hell Catra will ever forgive her for it. 

\--

The next week, Adora barely sleeps, sticking to a strict routine of working on her physiology assignments, downing protein shakes, doing pushups when she can’t bring herself to the gym. Despite her lack of sleep, Adora refuses to miss her next bench PR goal, so she _has_ to keep up the gains somehow. Her new life is simple, the bare minimum of what she needs to ward off the immense burden of guilt weighing on her chest.

Glimmer has been begging for Adora to do _anything else_ with her time, so TV night with the Best Friends Squad might be a healthy change of pace for her. Adora waits in the living room for Glimmer to come home, so they can start a new show they’ve planned to watch together when her phone buzzes on the coffee table. 

_Classic Glimmer and Bow, running late again_. 

Except Adora nearly drops her phone when she sees the new message. Like a masochist with very little impulse control, Adora opens the conversation and scrolls up to some older texts, reliving the bitter end to senior year all over again.

**Catra**

_Are you free before the game?_

_It’s been a week already_

_I think we should talk_

Sent: 5/21 8:30 A.M.

_Championships wasn't your fault_

_It was mine_

_I’m sorry_

Sent 5/21 6:33 P.M.

_Ugh_

_It’s like you don’t even get why you’re sorry_

_I don’t give a fuck about championships_

_And I told you I’m done talking with you._

Sent 5/23 9:02 P.M.

_I didn’t know how to explain it to you_

_It’s been a huge weight on my chest_

5/23 9:07 P.M.

_please can you jsut talk to me_

_i miss you :(_

_even though your_

_literally in the room nxet to me_

_yuore*_

_fuck_

Sent 5/24 3:19 A.M.

_I’m sorry about that last message._

_I still want to fix this_

_Please let me know when you’re ready to talk._

Sent 5/24 11:11 A.M.

_Catra?_

Sent 5/31 7:04 A.M.

_For last time, don’t fucking talk to me anymore_

Sent 6/1 10:53 P.M.

_Hey Adora_

Sent 10/16 11:47 P.M.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ Adora has patiently waited for so long for Catra to reach out, and now Catra wants to _talk_ to her. Although, Adora isn’t _that_ naive to assume innocent intentions from Catra in a late night text a week after they had sex for the first time. Still wary of Catra’s motives, Adora forces herself to take deep breaths for anywhere between three to five seconds before responding out of her own eagerness.

_What do you want, Catra?_

Sent 11:48 P.M.

Even though she has waited literal months for Catra to text her, an eternity passes while Adora stares at the three in-progress dots for what could have only been a few seconds. 

_I want you on your knees_

_Princess ;)_

Sent 11:50 P.M.

_Oh._ At least Catra is being honest with her now, Adora thinks, but she should know better than to entertain this conversation at all. Except Adora doesn't _care_ because now she knows Catra wants this just as much as she does. And Catra must want it _a lot_ to be texting her now, after a months-long hiatus. 

Adora is about to reply when the apartment door swings open to Glimmer and Bow, beaming grins, ready for TV night.

“Best Friends Squad TV Night!” Bow announces, plopping himself on the couch next to Adora.

“I’m just glad we finally found a night we’re all free,” Glimmer says, seating herself next to Bow.

“Mmhm,” Adora mumbles, unable to look away from the new, dangerously alluring messages on her phone. She can definitely have casual sex that means _absolutely nothing_ with her ex-teammate, right? Adora can think of too many reasons to see Catra right now and not enough to keep herself away.

_Oh I see_

_That’s a good thing_

_Because I keep thinking about how good you taste_

_It’s starting to ruin my life_

Sent: 11:54 P.M.

“What if we had TV night another night?” Adora reluctantly pries her eyes from her phone, standing up from the couch. “Because I think that TV night Tuesday sounds better than TV night _Saturday._ ”

“Is that seriously a reason?” Glimmer narrows her eyes at Adora.

“Adora, you told us you were finally going to watch _Korra_ with us. I’m starting to think you aren’t even a lesbian,” Bow accuses.

“Oh she’s definitely a lesbian,” Glimmer sighs, clicking her tongue. “I’m pretty sure that’s why she’s bailing on us tonight.”

Adora desperately reaches for her phone. 

_You’re actually ridiculous_

_Come over soon_

_Or else I’m going to take care of this myself_

Sent: 11:58 P.M.

_Please wait i’m gonna grab my red hoodie_

_literally runinng over see you in5 mintues_

Sent: 12:01 A.M.

“Tuesday,” Adora repeats, out of breath in her own eagerness, “then we can watch _Korra_.”

“Adora, you fucking useless lesbian,” Glimmer calls out from the living while Adora frantically tears through her closet, taking the red hoodie off its hook before making a mad dash out front door.

_I might get started without you actually_

Sent: 12:03 A.M.

_Fuckasdfds i'm on my wat_

_Wat_

_way*_

Sent: 12:04 A.M.

* * *

#### Catra (Now)

A week later and she can’t stop thinking about it.

Sitting on a comfy chair in her empty living room, Catra slowly sips her tea. It’s nearly midnight, but she has chosen a green jasmine blend, earthy and bright, musky yet sweet, familiar and reliable—exactly what she needs right now. 

Except she can’t stop thinking about how much she wants Adora’s tongue on her, sturdy arms fixing her in place, curled fingers fucking her relentlessly. Every strained noise and gasp that she drew from Adora’s mouth that night is seared into her brain forever, the sounds haunting her dreams again, especially the way she sleeps with Adora’s gray skull hoodie every night.

She takes another sip.

Catra knows there’s a chance she could get what she wants with a simple text, and that alone is _infinitely_ better than having no chance at getting what she wants. Although, she has never known Adora to be the type for casual sex up until recently. 

The warmth of the tea slips into her chest and core, spreading to her fingertips, and Catra lets out a long breath, her imagination running wild.

Catra must have finally worked Adora up enough at the Volley Ball dance, because even though her idiot was capable of hiding a big secret like her college plans, Adora had failed to hide one thing from her.

Catra remembers the worst part about being close with Adora their senior year was the frustration and arousal she sensed every time they kissed.

_No, scratch that._

Even worse was Adora doing next to _nothing_ to satisfy these urges, as much as Catra had hoped to coax _something_ from Adora. It was tough finding a balance between holding back to not push Adora away and simultaneously teasing her to make her want more. With how Adora’s body reacted to her, Catra had thought they would have sex a lot sooner than they actually did…. She had even made a few choice purchases senior year, hoping that Adora actually felt the same way Catra did about her, that things would escalate further between them.

But the scariest thoughts Catra has right now far surpass the woes of her underutilized sex toys.

Catra thinks about how much she misses Adora’s gentle arms holding her at night, how much she misses those bright blue eyes boring into her with endless warmth, how much she misses that pair of soft lips and goofy smile. She misses the care Adora showed for her after her injury, the safety she felt lying in Adora’s bed, how terrifyingly complacent she let herself get about it. 

She could have lied there forever in Adora’s bed, if only she didn’t know any better.

_Fuck._

The day after they had sex was a gloomy, rainy day, so Catra wore Adora’s hoodie inside her apartment, wrapped in Adora’s scent all day while she worked through her orgo lab report. She _needed_ it to stay grounded, but Adora’s scent ultimately drove her crazy. Following that day of weakness, Catra begrudgingly resigned the hoodie to her bed for evening use only.

A few days later at the grocery store, Catra had seen Adora’s favorite protein powder sitting on the shelf, and she bought a container of the stuff without thinking twice about it.

_What the hell?_

She tells herself she just wanted to know what the hype is since Adora drinks it all the time. That’s all.

Two nights ago, Catra had another charged dream, waking in a dreary sweat which ended with her relieving her frustration with Adora’s hoodie draped over her face. Again.

Yesterday, during her daily shoulder stretches, Catra found herself daydreaming about Adora’s steady arms guiding her through the ritual, like they used to do together after her injury. The memories turned her on admittedly, but worse, they made her heart palpitate, her breath weak and unstable. Catra had to end her stretching session early, because the unrelenting thoughts of Adora touching her with caring, deliberate gestures tugged her down into a deep, desperate state of wanting. 

Tonight, Catra now finds herself in another horny predicament, and _god_ it would be just... so fucking _pathetic_ to get off with Adora’s hoodie again when she could have the real thing sprawled underneath her, making delicious noises, Adora’s slick coating her fingers while Catra fucks her mercilessly…

She reaches for her phone. Scorpia had vacated the apartment for the weekend on a camping trip with her girlfriend, and Catra can’t help but think of the window of opportunity she might miss to hear Adora scream her name again. She shouldn’t be doing this, but if her idiotic ex-teammate is capable of having casual sex, she should be able to handle this too. 

* * *

#### Adora: May, Senior Year at Horde Academy 

Adora isn’t sure what’s more terrifying: telling her best friend that she’s going to Bright Moon next year or telling Catra _why_ she changed her mind to do so. For weeks now, Adora has tried to bring it up but there has never been a good time to drop the ball. Things have been pretty off lately too, between losing her gray skull hoodie and trying to resolve the awkward tension she’s had with Catra. But now, they’ve enjoyed some semblance of normalcy during the past few weeks of playoffs, and Adora isn’t ready to lose that yet.

Sure, they don’t sleep in the same bed together anymore, but at least they can talk in complete sentences with each other. And it’s been so exciting having Catra back on the court with her again. Horde Academy nearly lost its first playoff game of the season when Catra was benched during her last week of physical therapy. 

Now, in full-force at semi-finals, Adora is glad to have her teammate back at her side.

“Set!” Catra yells, smoothly launching the ball high in the air off the right side of the net. 

Adora’s chest flies above the net while she swings down with full force, slamming the volleyball onto the opposite court with a loud bounce, landing directly behind the Mystacor blockers.

Following her injury, Catra had relied so heavily on Adora during her recovery process. The night of Catra’s injury, she kissed Adora for the first time, and Adora let herself go along with it because she thought it might serve as a distraction to aid with the recent injury and shock.

The problem was, Adora liked kissing Catra... She _really_ liked kissing Catra, so much that she couldn’t stop thinking about it as it kept happening until it finally drove her insane.

None of this would have happened if Catra’s injury hadn’t been worsened by Weaver after practice that day. Coach Weaver actually held Catra’s FZU scholarship over her head, dangling Catra’s future in front of her like it was a carrot in a stick, just to manipulate her and cripple her for weeks. Weaver’s cruel manipulation tactics were nothing new to them, but even Adora was shocked to see Weaver go to this level to hurt Catra. 

Adora heard alarm bells going off in her head, her instincts telling her that something bad was happening while she was gone, but by the time she had returned for Catra, it was already too late. The whole mess between them could have been avoided if Adora had stayed for Catra, but by the time Adora came back for her, Catra was badly hurt and in need of appropriate care.

If Adora had stayed after practice like she should have, they never would have gotten into the cold shower together, the entire time during which Adora spent trying (and failing) to not stare at Catra’s ass. Her hand was nearly frostbitten after the whole ordeal.

If Adora had stayed they never would have slept in the same bed that night.

If Catra hadn’t been in her bed then she wouldn’t have kissed Adora.

 _Was it worth it just to be close to her?_ Adora feels sick to her stomach at that intrusive thought, that none of this would have happened if Adora had stayed for Catra and protected her from Weaver.

Adora wills her mind to quiet, refocusing on the game. She’s nearly fixed her personal relationship with Catra, and now she’s fixing things on the court. Back in action, the two work together like a vehicle of unstoppable force, clobbering Mystacor in the fourth game of the match. Horde Academy has already won two games, only a few points away from winning their third—marking total victory before they can move on to challenge the number two seed in the league, Salineas High, next weekend at championships.

“I got it!” Lonnie calls out from behind, barely digging a ball from the far right corner while Catra rushes over to the middle of the court to retrieve it, setting a back-row lob for Adora.

Instead of striking, Adora uses two hands to set the ball deep into a back corner with an immense amount of force in her swift motion. Mystacor’s libero makes a dive for the ball and hits it out of bounds, earning another point for Horde Academy.

Better than it feels to win the match at semi-finals, Adora has her teammate alongside her again, something she has missed for the nearly two months Catra needed to recover. Adora will cherish this moment, one of the last games they’d be able to play together before Adora departs to Bright Moon for the next four years, where she’ll have to see Catra from the other side of the net.

* * *

#### Catra (Now)

Catra ears twitch, picking up quick footsteps followed by an abrupt, loud knock at her door. She swings it open to Adora, red hoodie in hand, breathing heavily, a few beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.

“I’ll get you a glass of water,” Catra says immediately. 

Wordless and out of breath, Adora follows her inside and makes herself comfortable on the couch. 

Catra returns with the glass of water, and Adora nearly spills it while she takes it from Catra’s hand, downing it so quickly. Dressed in just an indecent white tank top and red pair of basketball shorts, she looks even douchier than Catra had expected from late-night-hookup Adora.

“Thank you,” Adora gasps after a final gulp, setting the empty glass on the coffee table. Her eyes unsubtly trace along Catra’s neck down her to chest and linger on her legs too, jaw hanging a bit loose while she blatantly stares.

Catra shuffles on the couch closer to her and Adora’s eyes suddenly flick up to her gaze. “So you’re down for this?”

Adora pauses, biting down on her lip. “Yes,” she whispers, climbing over to straddle Catra on the couch. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I really want you, Catra.”

 _Damn_. Catra is surprised to see Adora take initiative so quickly, and she gawks at the woman on top of her, trapped between Adora’s thighs, muscular arms outstretched on either side of her head.

“Easy there, tiger,” Catra breathes, and she’s hardly able to make eye contact with Adora, the other girl’s tits so close to her face. 

“Sorry, I-I just thought you had already started without me,” Adora says with a shaky laugh, rolling off Catra to sit beside her. 

“No you idiot, I just wanted to see you sooner,” Catra replies, and she hopes Adora doesn’t notice the blush warming her cheeks. “I mean… I was thinking we could try something different this time,” she adds, carefully searching Adora’s face for some kind of reaction.

“Oh,” Adora sighs, and sometimes Catra can see through Adora like a window, but right now she has no idea what is going through her head. “What were you thinking?”

“Come a little closer,” Catra whispers, because if she’s going to be so forthright, she may as well get something in return for it.

Adora leans in to kiss her, but Catra buries her face into Adora’s shoulder instead, planting a wet kiss at the base of Adora’s neck.

“You like that?” she whispers, leaning into Adora’s neck, enjoying the needy gasp that comes from her lips. “If I can recall you liked this too…” Catra slowly works her teeth into the next kiss, sucking lightly on the tender muscle.

“Yes,” Adora moans this time, and Catra pulls away to face her, Adora’s blown out eyes locking onto her lips.

Catra begins whispering into Adora’s ear what she wants to do to Adora every step of the way, the tension building in her legs, tail lashing behind her while she describes it in detail. She swears she can hear Adora’s heart thumping, and she can certainly smell the arousal growing between Adora’s legs, almost overwhelming her senses. She manages to remain calm while she continues, Adora closing her eyes and sighing into her shoulder, moaning _yes_ and _please_ in a voice so desperate it takes every shred of Catra’s willpower to not jump her on the spot.

“-and then you want me to wear it?” Adora asks, her hand clutching Catra’s thigh now.

“No, I’m going to wear it,” Catra corrects her, and Adora breathes out a longer sigh this time. “Unless you have any objections.”

“None,” Adora whispers, and Catra’s eyes fall to Adora’s parted lips, getting closer by the second. “Please, I want this. I want you. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Adora is about an inch from her face before she pauses, breathing hot air in Catra’s face. “Waiting for my permission?” Catra teases, and Adora inhales sharply, otherwise remaining still. “You’re already being so good for me.”

Adora visibly shivers at the praise, her hand tightening its grip on Catra’s thigh. Catra has to stop herself from immediately closing the distance between their lips, wanting to draw this out longer, so she instead leans into a spot just under Adora’s jaw, lightly grazing her cheek while she plants a soft kiss there. 

She pulls back to face Adora again, cupping her cheek with one hand, quickly melting into Adora’s lips, no longer able to resist the urge to kiss her. Adora presses back into her while she opens her mouth into the kiss, inviting Catra in. Adora sighs while Catra lightly teases her lips with careful flicks of her tongue. 

After she’s had enough to satisfy her fix, Catra withdraws from Adora’s lips. “Stay here,” she directs Adora. “And close your eyes.”

* * *

#### Adora (May)

Conquering Mystacor in the semi-finals was satisfying as hell, and Adora can’t wait to defeat Salineas next weekend, to reign as champions in the Etherian Varsity League. 

After the Horde’s victory at semi-finals, the entire team heads to Kyle’s house party to celebrate. With championships next weekend, the team sticks to games like hydration pong, water flip cup, and eventually they play “Never Have I Ever” to spice things up.

“Kyle, you’ve really done it all haven’t you?” Lonnie asks at some point during the game, because Kyle seems to be losing more quickly than anyone else.

At that, Rogelio keels over in laughter, pounding a fist into the floor while Kyle’s cheeks burn a dark shade of red.

Sure, it’s exciting that the team will to progress to the championships, but even better than that, Catra is here beside Adora, laughing while they play stupid games together, like how they’ve always been. A warmth blooms in Adora’s chest. Things actually feel normal between them again.

\--

Catra and Adora make their way home to relax on their living room couch, continuing where they left off at the party.

“Truth,” Catra replies, her legs stretched out on Adora’s lap while they sit on the couch.

“Is there something you’re hiding from me?” Adora asks almost innocently, but she knows Catra is more than capable of keeping things from her.

“Yes,” Catra answers, pursing her lips.

“Well... what is it?” 

“What do you mean? It’s my turn now. You asked me a yes or no question, and I answered it.”

“Ugh _fine,”_ Adora grunts, absentmindedly taking hold of Catra’s legs in her lap, “but I’m going to make you answer it next turn.”

“Let me show you how to actually play this game,” Catra laughs, a hint of mischief in her mismatched eyes. She adjusts herself in Adora’s lap, moving a bit closer. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Adora responds, because she sure as hell doesn’t want to do some crazy Catra dare right now.

Instead, what Catra says surprises her, even though it really shouldn’t. “What are you hiding from me, Adora?”

Adora chokes up, her throat drying up with each tentative breath. She still hasn’t told Catra her plans that she’s known for several weeks now, but there’s never a good time to break this kind of news. 

“I’m going to Bright Moon next year,” Adora admits sheepishly, and she can hardly stand to watch the disappointment wash over Catra’s face, her ears drooping while she adjusts herself to sit upright beside Adora.

“Uh… what?”

“It’s true... I’m sorry... I–I really wanted to tell you sooner.”

“I thought you might tell me why you stopped ki– _not this_ –I wasn’t expecting _that_ … of all things to come out of your mouth. What the hell? I thought you wanted us to be teammates next year.”

“Maybe we can talk about it another time,” Adora suggests, hoping Catra will drop the subject as if she had never brought it up. They’ve almost become close again, and Adora isn’t ready to throw away all of the new progress she’s made.

“You’ve been saying there’s nothing more important to you than going to FZU to play volleyball for the next four years together? What changed that?”

“It’s-uh… It’s hard to explain. Maybe we could still keep having fun like we’ve been having today though... I missed this a lot.”

“Well, I can’t make you talk about it can I?” Catra’s voice cracks, and she takes a few deep breaths, closing her eyes, sinking her head into the couch. “But this is seriously hard for me to wrap my head around.”

“We don’t have to talk about it now!” Adora pleas, trying to move on from this painful topic. “We’ve been having so much fun today… for the first time in so long. Things finally felt normal again, and I don’t want that to change between us.”

“Right... normal,” Catra barely whispers. She clears her throat. “I–I guess it’s your choice in the end, if that’s what you want, Adora. And if you don’t want to tell me _why,_ that’s your problem too. We just won’t be teammates next year.” Catra's speech is dry as she stares distantly over Adora’s shoulder.

Adora blinks back at Catra, biting her lip. She has been so anxious to keep Catra close, to not lose what she’s been carefully building back up with Catra again. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to maintain what they have.

So they’ll keep playing.

“You said you’d answer my question,” Adora accuses in a quiet voice, breaking the silence between them.

“Fine,” Catra grumbles after a moment. “We can play one more round. Ask away.”

“I will then,” Adora says, a bit smugly, and Catra’s tail slowly sways behind her while she smiles meekly. Adora has missed being close to her so much, but she also is curious to know what Catra might be hiding from her. “What are you hiding from me, Catra?”

“You’re supposed to ask ‘truth or dare?’ dumbass.”

“Oh, right,” Adora nervously chuckles, raising a hand to fiddle with her ponytail. “Truth or dare?”

Catra hides her face in Adora’s shoulder, but Adora can still see a smirk curling on her lips. “Hmm… how about dare?” 

“Seriously, Catra? You said you’d answer my question.” Adora can’t help but feel slightly betrayed that Catra would blatantly mislead her like this.

“Oh, did I? Well, it looks like we both have questions we want answered now.”

“That’s not what we agreed on.”

“Well, I said dare, because that’s kind of how the game works, and you really should have seen this coming.”

“I dare you to kiss me,” Adora says it so quickly she doesn’t realize what she has done until it’s too late.

“What?” Catra says, sitting upright, her face only inches away now while she shifts closer into Adora’s lap, her prominent canines slowly revealing themselves as her grin widens.

“I mean-”

“Shh,” Catra interrupts, stretching a thigh over Adora, straddling her on the couch as she leans into Adora’s neck. “You didn’t specify _where_ you wanted me to kiss you.”

Adora can think of one place where she would really, _really_ like Catra to kiss her.

She gasps at the sensation of warm air heating the sensitive skin of her neck, then soft fur brushing against her, wet lips, and _teeth_. Catra lightly sucks on her neck, gently flicking her tongue while she works her mouth.

The sensation comes on just as suddenly as it is effective, and Adora’s own voice betrays her, a thick groan ripping out of her throat while Catra bites and sucks on her neck.

“What was that?” Catra teases, pulling away from her neck, pupils blown and voice breathy, her gaze flicking across Adora’s face.

“I–I don't know,” Adora stutters, her face rapidly heating up, heart thumping in her ears. 

Catra’s face is only inches away from her own while she straddles her lap, a slight smirk curling on her lips. “Do you actually want to do this?” Catra raises an eyebrow, a devious glint shining in her eyes. 

Adora feels her body lock up, teeth clenched, eyes widening because she isn’t _supposed_ to want this. 

“Oh, uh… I didn’t mean it like that,” Adora says quickly, cheeks fiery hot, hands shaking while she presses her back further into the couch.

Catra pauses, tensing in Adora’s lap. “How did you mean it?” 

“I mean... it’s just a game, Catra,” Adora raises her voice, heated in defensiveness, trying to convince herself of her own words, hoping that she hasn’t pushed Catra too hard… that they can still be close after all of this.

“What?” Catra stares at her for a moment, then her ears fall flat against her head, eyebrows furrowing while she shuts her lips tightly. Catra takes a few shaky breaths, then the warmth of her quickly dissipates as she pushes herself away from Adora’s lap, rising from the couch, creating a distance between them. “Is that all this has been to you? Just a fucking _game…”_ She scoffs at that last word, coming out dry and choked. 

Adora curses her own traitorous throat for being so loud, but there must–there _has_ to be some aspect of her relationship with Catra that she can still salvage. “It was never supposed to go this far. We both know that.”

“Did we? Because if you want to play a game, Adora, I’ll show you how to play a fucking game. If you think you can just play me like that, I’ll play you too.” 

“It was a mistake!” Adora desperately tries to backtrack. She didn’t intend to start this all over again, especially after they’ve made so much progress together. Adora gets up from the couch, unsure if she wants to console Catra or run out the front door.

“Yeah, it was,” Catra growls, reaching her hands to her hair, claws edging out in her own anger. “Why can’t you just admit that you want this? Why does it have to mean something to you?”

“It doesn’t… I mean… I only wanted to help you get better! It was never supposed to be _like this,”_ Adora hopelessly blurts, as if anything she says will fix what she did. Running out the front door is starting to sound better than the alternatives now.

“Yeah, asshole. Why don’t you go fuck off to princess school the next four years while you’re at it? And just to rub more salt in the wound, don’t even bother telling me _why,”_ Catra snaps, bitterness sharp on her tongue. “I thought we were supposed to tell each other everything.” She scowls and squeezes her eyes shut.

“Tell each other everything?” Adora gasps quickly, taken aback. “You avoided my question and even if it meant _kissing_ me. There’s clearly something you don’t want me to know.”

“You don’t get it at all, do you?” 

“Catra, I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted to help, but it was never supposed to go this far. I was fine being a distraction from your injury, but this too much.”  
  
“No, you’re right. I was just experimenting, and this meant nothing to me because I don’t want you like that. _Obviously,”_ Catra snarls, curling her fist into a tight ball while she paces across the room toward her. _“_ But it’s a good thing you can only hide so much though, Adora.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Adora takes a step back with a thud that reminds her there’s a door behind her.

“Aww, look at you,” Catra whispers, closing in on her against the door, her breath hot in Adora’s face. “You’re a wreck for me,” she rasps, her voice like sweet alcohol poured into the open wound in Adora’s chest. She raises her left hand to trace a claw underneath Adora’s jawline before drawing it down the side of her neck. “I didn’t know you wanted it so badly…”

Adora’s eyes involuntarily roll into the back of her head at the contact, but she quickly snaps herself out of it.

“Shut up!” She bats Catra’s hand away, her face burning in anguish that Catra would even think of teasing her right now, but Adora isn’t ready to give up. “I–I mean… I never thought you wanted more than what we did...” 

“Of course I don’t want anything from you, asshole. This is just a game. That’s all this has ever been to me.” Catra lowers her hands to her sides, her claws still extended and tense, like she could scratch something up at any moment. “All it will ever be.”

“Y-yeah,” Adora whispers, shutting her eyes as if it will hold back the tears. It doesn’t.

“And now you’re just going to leave me to go to Bright Moon when this whole time you’ve been telling me you were so sure on FZU,” Catra scoffs, and it turns into a loud, frustrated laugh. “What’s with all the secrets?”

“Catra…” Adora begs, opening her eyes, and even though she can barely see through her clouded vision, she knows this went too far. The damage has been done. 

“What the fuck is your problem?” Catra groans, her voice growing distant. 

“I’m sorry,” Adora croaks weakly, rubbing her eyes.  
  
“You fucking should be.” Catra storms off into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. From the living room, Adora can hear the sound of shredding fabric, and she can only wonder what Catra is destroying in her room.

Adora takes a few slow, tense breaths. She has no idea how they will make it through the couple of weeks they have left as roommates, let alone championships next weekend. 

* * *

#### Adora (Now)

Adora stands still, her eyes closed while Catra works the rope around her wrists behind her. 

“Not too tight?” Catra whispers close to her ear, placing a few kisses on her neck.

Opening and closing her hands a few times, Adora tries stretching her arms against the binds. “This feels good,” she sighs, and Catra purrs against her neck.

“Good,” Catra says, her voice now coming from in front of her.

Adora’s heart pounds in her own excitement, and she really wants to open her eyes, but more than that, she wants to be good for Catra.

“On your knees, Princess.”

Adora swiftly obeys the order, grateful for the extra pair of knee pads that Catra offered to her. She feels Catra’s claws trace along her hair and scalp, making their way to Adora’s ponytail, and down the back of her neck. She gasps at the light touch, sensing warmth near her face, soft fur brushing against her shoulder. 

“Open your eyes.”

When Adora opens her eyes, she sees Catra undressed to just a pair of boyshorts, looming above her so dangerously close to where Adora wants her to be. She nearly sinks her face into Catra’s underwear until she feels a light tug at the base of her ponytail, stopping her from moving any closer.

“Catra…” Adora’s voice wavers, and she’s nearly watering at the mouth with how badly she wants to taste Catra. 

“Are you going to wait if I let go?”

“Yes,” Adora says almost reluctantly, knowing this task is going to be nearly impossible.

“Good,” Catra purrs, releasing her grip on Adora’s ponytail to tug down her boyshorts past her ankles. “You would do anything for this, wouldn’t you?”

Adora nods, and she has to remind herself not to surge forward and have Catra how she wants to right now, focusing on keeping her body still, her breath steady, waiting for Catra’s direction. 

“Since I didn’t start this earlier like I told you I would, I’m going to now,” Catra whispers, reaching to draw her slick from her entrance, guiding it up to her clit, touching herself in front of Adora now.

Adora gasps and pushes her wrists against the binds behind her, a constant and necessary reminder to control herself, to exist here and now with only Catra in front of her who is ruthlessly fucking herself to her heart’s content while Adora hopelessly watches. A few minutes of watching Catra teasing herself so close to her face, and Adora is dying for a taste, wishing Catra would relent already. At this point, Adora is wondering if she’ll even get the chance to fuck her.

“Do you want to taste me?” Catra steps closer to her again and Adora nearly shoves her head between Catra’s legs until she feels the pull on her hair and the rush it sends down her neck. 

“Yes, please. I need to taste you,” Adora whines, and she doesn’t even care how pathetic she sounds as long as she gets what she wants.

* * *

Catra isn’t at all prepared to see Adora melt like this in front of her right now, so honest and earnest about wanting to have her. With one fist in Adora’s hair, locking her firmly in place, Catra holds out the fingers that were recently inside of herself, dangling them in front of Adora’s face. Adora’s mouth falls open while she waits for Catra’s fingers, and it’s not long before Catra finds herself giving in. Adora greedily sucks on her fingers, taking them into her mouth like it’s the last opportunity she’ll have to do so, sucking and running her tongue along Catra’s fingers, taking in every bit of her wetness.

Some combination of Adora’s eagerness and the warm, wet, squeezing sensation makes her moan softly, and Catra feels the throbbing tension between her legs rise.

She slowly withdraws her fingers from Adora’s mouth, hearing a soft, frustrated moan from Adora. Catra steps forward, positioning Adora’s head between her legs, one hand still holding onto the base of Adora’s ponytail. Adora’s eager blue eyes pierce into her gaze from below. 

“Do you want this, Adora?”

“So badly,” she whimpers, and Catra feels Adora tugging against her tight grip, pressing forward. “I need to fuck you. I need to make you come.”

Catra lets out a shaky breath and nearly releases her hold on Adora’s hair, but she maintains her resolve. “You can fuck me now,” she gives permission, opening her hand, and Adora is already kissing along her inner thighs, lightly nipping on the soft skin and using tongue.

“Mmm,” Adora hums while she opens her eyes, making eye contact while she flicks her tongue around Catra’s folds.

“I said _fuck_ me, not tease me,” Catra revises her statement to make it more clear, and Adora switches to broad strokes, working her tongue relentlessly, already driving Catra close with how turned on she is. “Yeah, just like that…” Catra whispers while Adora hums against her. “Make me feel… so good…” she croaks, weak in the knees while she clutches Adora’s shoulders to hold herself up. 

Catra is right on the edge when she grips the base of Adora’s ponytail, pulling Adora away from her, a weak protesting moan escaping Adora’s lips at the loss of contact. The warmth of Adora’s mouth is gone, a dull ache welling in its absence, but the needy expression on Adora’s face makes it so worthwhile. “I almost don’t want to give you the satisfaction of making me come,” Catra whispers, barely catching her breath while she smirks down at the trembling blonde between her legs.

“Catra, _please_ ,” Adora nearly _screams_ , and Catra’s eyes go wide. She has never seen Adora this torn and wanting in front of her. It’s almost scary seeing Adora like this, but it’s stupidly hot more than it is anything else.  
  
Savoring this moment, Catra takes one last look at Adora who is crumbling at her words. “Almost,” she says, releasing her grip on Adora’s ponytail. With a satisfied groan, Adora dives into her again, blue eyes staring up into hers while Adora licks and sucks on her clit.

Catra reaches for Adora’s hair, needing to hold onto something so she doesn’t keel over, legs twitching, beginning to lose control. She snips Adora’s hair band, entangling her fingers in Adora’s hair, keeping her close while Adora tongues steady strokes against her, pushing her to the edge.

“Fuck,” Catra gasps, realizing that she’s been holding her breath. Her legs buckle and she nearly collapses on top of Adora as her orgasm hits her. Adora keeps going, letting out a groan once she realizes what she’s done to Catra. Adora’s face presses harder into her while Catra desperately clings to her hair, riding out the waves. Adora gradually slows down, eventually kissing and nipping along her inner thighs, a smug grin on her lips.

Catra will have to do something about that, but for now, she drops to her own knees in front of Adora, tucking a few loose strands of hair out of Adora’s face behind her ear. 

“Hey,” Adora whispers like she’s greeting Catra, like she didn’t just have her face intimately pressed into Catra’s pussy about ten seconds ago. 

Catra snorts out a puff of air. “Let’s give your wrists a break before we continue.” She begins untying the binds behind Adora, while Adora smiles weakly back at her, lips parting slightly like she wants to say something. “How are you feeling?”

“Really good,” Adora breathes, and Catra sighs into her lips while she undos the last bind, carefully holding onto Adora’s wrists.  
  
“Don’t move too quickly,” Catra instructs her, pulling away from the kiss for a moment while she guides Adora’s arms in front of her. Adora reaches for Catra’s waist and kisses Catra again, letting her hands wander up Catra’s back, scratching against the grain. Catra can taste herself on Adora’s lips while they press against each other, until Adora sighs away from her lips, taking Catra’s hand in hers.

“I’m ready for the next part,” Adora whispers into her neck.

Catra can’t restrain the low rumble growing in her chest. “Good.”

\--

“I want you to lie down, Princess.” 

Adora does as she’s told and Catra stretches a leg over her. Straddling Adora at her waist on the bed, Catra guides Adora’s arms above her to the headboard. She feels Adora’s gaze burning into her while she binds Adora’s wrists and loops them around a hook in the frame. Catra resists the urge to feel her up, trace her claws down Adora’s stomach, and play with her hair. Adora can wait for that for just a little longer while she’s tied up.

Catra reaches for the blindfold on the nightstand.

“Wait,” Adora says, wrinkling her eyebrows. “I want to see you.”

“Oh… okay,” Catra sighs, tossing the dark strip of fabric aside. Oddly, she feels like she’s the one on display, more vulnerable without the blindfold in play. “Can you tell me your safewords, again?”

“Green for go, orange for stop, and red you cut me loose.” 

“Good,” Catra purrs, tracing a claw along Adora’s inner thigh. “So very good for me.” Adora keens at the praise with a sweet gasp, tugging against the binds while she arches into Catra’s touch.

She lets her finger trace up to Adora’s entrance, which is even more wet than Catra had expected. Adora moans at the contact and tries to grind into Catra’s hand. Smirking at Adora, Catra repeatedly moves her fingers away every time Adora moves her hips until Adora eventually realizes what she’s been doing.

“Hey!” Adora groans, her eyes rolling as she keeps trying and failing to fuck herself against Catra’s fingers. “Please, I need you. I can take it.” Adora’s eyes slip to the strap that Catra had placed in a fairly threatening position for her to see, standing upright on the table beside Adora. 

“So needy tonight aren’t you?” Catra teases, extricating herself from Adora’s legs. She steps into the harness and tightens it at her waist. Adora peers over at her while she applies lube to the tip of the toy and down the shaft. 

“Fuck,” Adora whispers, eyes flicking up and down Catra’s body while she finishes adjusting the strap. “Can you blame me? I wish you could see yourself how I do now.”

 _Why does she have to be so like this?_

Catra tries to collect herself with a breath, settling between Adora’s legs. She grips Adora’s thigh with one arm and holds the shaft with light pressure on Adora's clit, letting Adora fuck herself on it for a bit of relief. She takes a break to observe Adora like this, getting herself off, tied up to the headboard, blonde hair splayed around her shoulders and face.

“Had enough?” Catra asks, adjusting the tip of the toy to graze against Adora’s entrance.

“Yes, fuck me,” Adora insists, spreading her legs wider for Catra. “I want to take it for you.”

Catra guides the tip inside of her, slowly edging into Adora who sighs as the shaft fills her. “Be a good girl and take this all the way for me. I know you can.” Adora shuts her eyes as Catra goes in until the hilt presses against her, and she snaps her eyes open, locking with Catra’s gaze. 

Adora sighs while Catra starts rocking her hips, gradually working up to a steady pace. Catra takes Adora’s breasts in her hands while she fucks her, teasing Adora’s nipples with light touches, enjoying the satisfying noises she can draw from her lips.

She takes hold of Adora’s hair and meets bright blue eyes, so open and focused on her, Catra can stare into them endlessly. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” Catra breathes into a harder thrust, and she notices Adora’s eyes go wider, and she pulls at her restraints.

“Catra…” Adora croaks hoarsely, spreading her legs wider. “You make me feel so good.”

Adora groans while she begins thrusting harder into her. “I’m going to cut the ties, okay?” Catra says, eyeing the loops where Adora’s wrists are fastened. 

“I’d like to touch you,” Adora whispers, and Catra purrs, sinking into Adora’s chest while she keeps fucking her. She reaches a claw to slice the binds, freeing Adora’s arms, and strong hands make their way to her waist, feeling up her stomach, another hand reaching up to her head, stroking and teasing her hair.

Catra smirks, watching Adora writhe beneath her, making fierce eye contact with her. A small droplet forms at the duct of Adora’s eye and falls down her cheek and Catra slows her pace, pulling out slightly, reaching to wipe the tear.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Y-yeah, green, yes,” Adora says, blinking quickly. “Please keep going. I’m close.”

Catra sighs and sinks the toy deep into her, watching Adora sigh as it stretches her out. She steadily thrusts into Adora, picking up a rhythm. She fucks Adora harder like this, taking in every _yes_ and _more_ that she hears cry from Adora’s mouth. “Let me take care of you,” Catra whispers, drawing her fingers down below Adora’s navel, reaching to lightly stroke Adora’s clit while she fucks her with the strap, drinking in the sweet noises Adora makes now. 

“Catra… I’m gonna…”  
  
“Like how you did for me.” Catra stares into Adora’s eyes while she feels Adora relax into her, groaning into her climax while Catra rubs her clit and thrusts into her, wanting to draw this out as long as she can, to make Adora feel as good as she can in this moment. 

Eventually, she slows her pumps, guiding Adora back to her level, down from her high.

“F-fuck,” Adora gasps, her chest slowly rising and falling while Catra pulls out of her. “That was… _wow.”_

Catra laughs and shakes her head, nuzzling into Adora on the bed, finding a spot in the crook of her shoulder. 

Adora inhales sharply. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”

“Oh, okay,” Catra whispers, as Adora slips from underneath her, off the bed and into the other room. She sinks her head into the sheets and purrs, Adora’s scent and sex all over her bed, so dangerously intoxicating for her to roll around in right now.

A few minutes later Adora returns from the bathroom. She makes her way to Catra’s bed, reaching for the abandoned basketball shorts strewn off the edge of it. Adora’s face is smoothed over while she wordlessly begins dressing herself.

“Are you going home?” Catra asks, her chest sinking in a deep breath while she tucks herself under the covers.

“I mean… I figured that was the plan,” Adora says, pausing with her white tank top in hand. 

“Do you want to stay?” Catra scooches over in her bed. If Adora stays, Catra might have to deal with the repercussions of unpleasant feelings welling up again, but she can’t let Adora go home like this. Adora needs proper care after they’ve done a few intense scenes; they’re also among the ungodly morning hours now, a few rogue birds already chirping outside. 

“That’s not what you want,” Adora says, and the certainty in her tone hurts worse than anything she actually could have said.

A small growl forms in Catra’s throat, she quickly fights it. “Do you want to stay?” Catra asks again between clenched teeth

“Does it matter?” Adora says, reaching for her shorts. 

“Of course it does,” Catra huffs, shutting her eyes tightly. “It matters to me.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Catra whispers, feeling her cheeks warm. “I-I would like it if you stayed. Please.”

Adora drops her tank top onto the floor, staring at her for a moment. “I can stay,” she says quietly, and even in the dimly lit bedroom, Catra can see Adora’s cheeks glow soft pink. Adora tentatively approaches the bed, peeling the covers. She makes herself comfortable, gradually coming closer, until she lets her head rest on Catra’s chest.

From this proximity Catra can tell Adora’s heart is beating rapidly, and the other girl even trembles slightly. With how Adora can be sometimes, Catra wonders if she’s been sleeping properly as of late. All Catra wants is for Adora to feel safe now with her, so she can properly rest and recover from their session.

Catra gives her a soft kiss on the forehead, feeling Adora sigh into her, stretching her arm across Catra’s waist. Adora trembles slightly, but Catra can hear her heartbeat slowing down while she relaxes into her. “You’re safe here,” Catra whispers, lightly stroking Adora’s hair. “I want you to be able to trust me, to know that you’re safe now with me.”

Adora shivers into her, still wordless while she tightens her grip on Catra. 

“I need to tell you something,” Catra says, knowing there’s only one way she can earn Adora’s trust again, if Adora is willing to listen and forgive her for hiding the truth.

“W-what is it?” Adora stutters, leaning up from her chest to meet her eyes. Catra can’t tell if Adora is overly concerned about what she might say or still coming down from the scene.

“Look, what I’m going to tell you… Before I finish what I’m saying, I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened.”  
  
“Catra-”

“Shh, it’s okay.” Catra can _do_ this. She only has to will herself to do one good thing, so maybe Adora can finally rest. Catra can’t stand to see her weary and shaking in her arms. She needs Adora to trust her right now. “Senior year… When Coach Weaver hurt me… I didn’t stay because she threatened to take away my scholarship… I lied because I didn’t think you could handle the truth… Weaver actually told me she’d have Huntara revoke _your_ FZU offer, Adora.”

“No…” Adora sobs weakly, wet and choked. “No… so that means…it means… when I left… it was all for _nothing.”_

“No!” Catra yells quietly, petting Adora’s hair, holding her more tightly, doing whatever she can to console her. “No, it's not like that. That’s not why I’m telling you this. Please.” 

Adora softens in her arms, taking a few shallow breaths. Catra waits for her to level out before she continues.

“The point is,” Catra explains, lightly and slowly scratching Adora’s back. “I wasn’t mad that you left to go to Bright Moon, and I didn’t do it so we could stay teammates either. I took the fall because you deserved a choice Adora.” There was a time where Catra withheld the truth, knowing she could weaponize Adora’s guilt to hurt her if she ever desperately needed to keep Adora away, to hurt her badly enough so Adora wouldn’t _ever_ come back. She almost did snap once, wanting to hurt Adora like this. But by spelling it out like this now, Catra feels like she’s defusing the last bomb in her arsenal, forgiving Adora before she has the chance to do something drastic or reckless out of her guilt.

“No one deserves to have that taken away from them,” Catra says, feeling Adora let out a small yawn into her neck. When Adora is here in her arms, Catra knows she is safe to share this with Adora now, where she can’t do something harmful.

“I just wanted that choice to be me,” Catra whispers, barely audible. She can feel her own heart pounding in her chest, the words pouring out of her. “None of this has ever been a game to me. I did it because I love you, Adora. I’ve loved you for years.” She lightly squeezes Adora in her arms.  
  
Adora breathes slowly against her now, while Catra anxiously waits for her to say something, _anything._

“Adora?”

A small snore. A cute rumble coming from Adora’s chest.

Catra lets out a sigh, long and slow, lightly stroking Adora’s hair, purring while she shuts her own eyes.

Lights out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow
> 
> ive been so apprehensive about posting this chapter but here it is, in all of its 9k word count. i hope this was enough food to hold you off after all of these bread crumbs
> 
> so adora's red hoodie has the same function as ron swanson's red shirt and i will say no more
> 
> shitposting? in my angst fic??? more likely than you'd think
> 
> thank u all for reading :) please take care of yourselves


	8. chemistry

#### Adora (Now)

The whir of grinding metal stirs Adora from her deep, groggy slumber.

Several days of sleep deprivation have taken a toll on her body, but she wakes feeling rested for the first time all week. Kicking her legs out, Adora realizes Catra isn’t here, but she wishes Catra were so she could hold her again. Adora’s heart pounds at that thought, and she loses her breath at what she remembers.

In order to protect Adora’s future, Catra let Weaver hurt her, and in a cruel twist of fate, it didn’t even matter. Hell, if Adora hadn’t left practice that day, she never would have left to go to Bright Moon either. They’d still be teammates, not in this terrible mess that Adora created. She clenches her teeth, and her whole body shakes. Adora cocoons herself in Catra’s blankets, but it doesn’t help. The ringing in her ears is growing louder, but at least the metallic churning noise has come to a halt. Adora shuts her eyes.

All she can hear is pounding and ringing until the door creaks open.

“Of course, _now_ you wake up… you were out for hours until I finally left the—uh...”

Adora wants to respond, but as soon as she opens her mouth her teeth start chattering, a feeble sigh escaping her lips.

“Adora?” 

The covers begin to unravel as a hand strokes through her hair. 

“Hey, it’s okay, baby.” A warm hand rubs Adora’s back while the other hand stays in her hair, sifting through parts.

“It was my fault,” Adora sobs, her breath weighing each word, and she curls her knees to her chest. “I fucked up.”

“Shh,” Catra whispers, drawing her hand down to cup Adora’s jaw, her warmth cutting away the tension in Adora’s neck. “I’ve got you.”

“You really…did that for me…and I-I can't fix what I did.”

“And that’s okay because it’s over now, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re safe here, and I’m safe too.”

Adora slowly opens her eyes to find Catra seated on the bed beside her. She wraps her arms around Catra’s waist, locking her in a hug while she curls her body around Catra’s back. Catra is wearing Adora’s gray skull hoodie, and it only takes a few seconds for Adora to realize that the hoodie is the _only_ thing she seems to be wearing as Adora grazes her fingers along Catra’s waist and thighs.

Carefully leaning up in bed, Adora adjusts her legs to wrap around Catra’s waist, pressing her front against Catra’s back as she embraces her from behind. Almost absentmindedly, Adora runs her fingers up Catra’s stomach, until she snaps back into focus, resting her arms around Catra’s lap instead.

“I’m sorry for freaking out,” Adora says after a moment, closing her eyes and leaning into Catra’s neck to place a few gentle kisses at her nape.

“You wouldn’t be _you_ if you didn’t freak out,” Catra sighs, holding Adora’s arms in place. “I just can’t believe you woke up now when I was only gone for a few minutes…”

Adora chuckles weakly, still nuzzled into Catra’s neck from behind. “Maybe it was because I missed you.”

Catra turns her head to face Adora, blue and yellow eyes searching Adora’s face. She leans in closer, and Adora almost kisses her until Catra tenses and recoils slightly. “I made you a smoothie,” she says quickly, gritting her teeth.

_What now?_

“You made me a _smoothie?_ ” Adora raises her eyebrows, about as perplexed as she is touched by the gesture.

“Y-yeah I did,” Catra says, peeling Adora’s legs from her waist and standing up. “Because it’s almost noon… and you should eat something,” she grumbles, folding her arms.

Adora rises, and she pulls on the red hoodie lying at the foot of the bed, dressed in just that and her red shorts she fell asleep in last night. She almost wonders if she should take them off considering Catra isn’t wearing any pants… 

_Fuuuuck._

After taking a few deep breaths to collect herself, Adora follows Catra into the living room, and there it is: a suspiciously perfect-looking smoothie, resting on the countertop for her. Catra opens her mouth like she’s going to say something then purses her lips while Adora tries a sip of the smoothie. 

She can’t tell if it’s the taste or the mouth feel, but Adora senses something familiar about this mixture. 

“Is this the protein powder that I like?” Adora asks, daring another sip, letting it swish in her mouth before she swallows.

“What?” Catra blurts, her eyes going wide. “I mean… yeah.”

Adora wrinkles her eyebrows and squints at her. “You always said it smells weird.”

“I-I just wanted to try it,” Catra insists, her tail flicking around behind herself.  
  
“But there’s the piece of plastic over there. You just opened this today.”

“So what if I did?” Catra won’t even make eye contact with her now, folding her arms and staring over her shoulder.  
  
“Catra, did you buy this just for me?” Adora finds her cheeks warming, taking her bottom lip into her mouth, trying not to sniffle. “Aww, is it because you like me?”  
  
“This _isn’t_ because I like y—wait…” Catra lets out a shaky chuckle, scratching the back of her neck. “Are you fucking with me right now? How much did you...?”

“What?” Adora scrunches her forehead, laughing while Catra shoves her face into her own hands.  
  
“Never mind.”

Adora shrugs it off and resumes drinking her smoothie, necessary sustenance to start her day.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Catra announces after a minute. “Coming with me?”

Mid-gulp, Adora almost chokes on her smoothie, her imagination wandering. “Absolutely,” she whispers and quickly downs the remainder of the drink.

\--

The only other time they had done this together was not exactly under great circumstances. Adora feels especially bad that she had spent almost the entirety of the icy shower gawking at Catra’s ass while Catra was turned away from her. How could Adora _not_ stare?

Catra steps into the shower first, and Adora lets her eyes explore Catra’s body like this, damp and shining with water droplets. Adora wants to run her hands all over Catra’s stomach up to her breasts, scrape against Catra’s back while they lock lips, make Catra moan while she shoves her thigh between Catra’s legs.

“You coming?” Catra asks, a fang hooked over her lower lip while she smirks.

Adora snaps out of her daze and follows Catra into the shower. “Oh, yeah.” 

“Took you long enough.”

The water nearly scalds Adora as she steps in, steam already accumulating above them while they hover close to each other. “It’s hot as fuck in here,” Adora notes, chuckling while she maneuvers around Catra outside of the direct stream of water, their fronts pressing together.

“I don’t like cold showers,” Catra says, and Adora’s heart sinks a little until Catra reaches for her hand. “Wasn’t so bad with you, though,” she adds, smiling meekly, as if Adora has any more room for warmth in her chest before she boils over.

“I liked being able to help you,” Adora confesses, feeling her heart pound a little harder. “I felt like it really gave me a—” Catra sighs into her lips, tracing her claws down the small of Adora’s back “—purpose,” Adora finishes her thought but only barely. She needs more of Catra while their lips slot together, opening her mouth to take in Catra’s tongue. Adora weaves her fingers through Catra’s short, dark, wet hair, pulling lightly while Catra hums into the kiss.

While they make out, one of Catra’s hands travels up to Adora’s breast, cupping and squeezing while she traces a thumb over Adora’s nipple. “Mmph,” Adora moans into Catra’s lips, legs nearly buckling underneath herself, latching onto Catra’s waist to prop herself up.

Catra pulls away from the kiss and takes a few shallow breaths while the water pours down on her. “If we keep doing this…” Her voice trails off while she _lewdly_ observes Adora’s chest, letting her gaze slip even lower. Catra doesn’t bother to finish her sentence either, but her message is clear enough.

“Right,” Adora sighs, long yet tense. “What about after we shower?” Adora will happily stay as long as Catra will let her today, and maybe if they have sex, Adora can stay for even longer.

“You’re going to fuck me?” Catra answers her question, and Adora nearly presses into her again, but if she actually gives in to that urge, they will never finish showering. Although, the longer Adora draws this out...

“I want to make you feel so good,” Adora whispers, rubbing circles on Catra’s waist. “Like how you did for me last night.”  
  
Catra closes her eyes and groans while she leans into Adora’s chest, kissing along Adora’s breasts now, taking a nipple into her mouth and rolling her tongue over the tip in a few circles. Adora clutches Catra’s hair and moans into her touch, hips bucking forward while she searches for resistance. Despite the desperate whine creeping from Adora’s throat, Catra pulls away, a smug grin widening on her lips. “So distracted, aren’t you? C’mon, the sooner we finish up, the sooner you get to ram me into the couch.” 

Adora quickly reaches for the shampoo with renewed focus.

\--

Out of the shower, Adora opts to stay nude, making herself comfortable on the couch while she patiently waits to rail Catra into the furniture as promised.

When Catra emerges from the bathroom she is dressed in only Adora’s maroon gray skull hoodie, and Adora appreciates her lack of underwear. Catra shakes out her damp hair, spiky strands falling clumsily about her forehead. 

“Come here,” Adora requests with a smirk, gesturing with two curled fingers. 

Instead of sitting beside Adora, Catra places herself directly onto Adora’s lap, purring into her shoulder. “Are you going to fuck me now?” she asks, spreading her legs slightly.

Adora _wants_ to fuck Catra. She really does, but also, the longer she draws this out, the more time she’ll get to spend with her. Adora grasps Catra’s inner thigh, digging her nails in while she strokes up and down her leg. Adora’s other hand slips beneath the hoodie, scratching up Catra’s back. “How do you like that?” she asks while Catra groans into her shoulder, pressing her teeth into the base of Adora’s neck.

“Mm, feels good,” Catra hums, really sinking her teeth in now, and Adora can hardly restrain the guttural noise that rips from her throat.

“I like touching you,” Adora whispers, tracing her fingers higher up Catra’s inner thigh, closer to where Catra needs her but not close enough. 

“But you can’t touch me like this and _not_ do anything about it,” Catra threatens, spreading her legs even wider, easing her hips forward into Adora’s touch.

Adora reaches to pull off Catra’s— _her_ own hoodie when Catra takes a hold of her wrist, claws edging out. “No,” Catra grunts, her chest heaving, “leave it on.” 

There’s no time to unpack the reasoning behind that request, so Adora abides by it and carries on. 

“Can I tie you up?” Adora asks, taking hold of Catra’s arm and squeezing lightly as Catra sighs into her. “I just want to make you feel as good as you made me feel.” She lets go of Catra’s arm to hold onto Catra’s thigh, edging her fingers up.

“In the drawer,” Catra says, nodding toward the coffee table. 

Adora pulls open the top compartment, scanning the wide selection of ropes to choose from. “So Scorpia doesn’t mind your uh… collection here?”

“I wouldn’t know. She’s too afraid to say anything about it.”

“Gotcha,” Adora says, pulling out a shorter, thin blue rope from the drawer. Catra already has her arms behind herself, waiting for Adora to continue. “You’re so cute when you want me to rail you.”

_"Adora.”_ Catra nearly climbs off her in protest, but she only moves about a few inches away before giving up and slumping into Adora’s chest again. “You really worked me up... not exactly fair.”

Adora wraps the rope around Catra’s wrists behind her while Catra sinks deeper into Adora’s shoulder, nipping along her neck and lower toward her chest. “How does that feel?” Adora asks, securing the rope in place.

“Really good,” Catra breathes before she melts into Adora's lips. Catra kisses her fiercely, her tongue rolling into her mouth, moaning softly while she moves her hips forward closer to Adora’s hand resting on her inner thigh.

Adora smirks, all of this going straight to her head. “You’re going to be a good girl for me, and then I’m going to make you come.” She squeezes Catra’s arm lightly. “Okay?”

“Fuck, Adora,” Catra whispers, seeking refuge in her neck, kissing and biting while a purr rises out of her chest. Adora reaches a hand under her hoodie to stroke up Catra’s back. “Although, it’s going to take more than that for me to be good,” she says with a sly grin. “Ugh, you need to fuck me now.”

“Pretty demanding considering you’re the one tied up in my lap.”

“Yeah, I _am_ being demanding. Gonna do something about it?” Catra teases back at her, brushing the tip of her tail against Adora’s lower leg.

“The least you could do is be good for me, like how I was for you last night.”  
  
“Aww, you _were_ so good for me last night, weren’t you? Be a good girl and fuck me already.”  
  
 _“Catra,”_ Adora wheezes, gripping her thigh more tightly, “you’re supposed to be good for _me.”_ _  
_  
“Don’t you want to have me?” Catra asks innocently, like she doesn’t already know Adora’s answer to that question. “I thought you would want to make me come...”  
  
Well, Adora surely wants that, but she also wants Catra to crumble at her touch, writhe in her arms, and scream when her climax finally hits like a tidal wave. “I could wait here all day, touching you like this.” Adora genuinely _could_ do that. She’d stay here all day, running her fingers up Catra’s legs and back, stroking and pulling her hair, kissing and nipping the tender skin on the side of her neck. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be making demands. You’re the one tied up in my lap right now,” Adora reminds her again.

“I need you to fuck me,” Catra grumbles impatiently, kissing and dragging her teeth against Adora’s neck.

“Are you going to be good for me?” Adora pulls and teases the hair on the back of Catra’s head.

A grunt.

“If you’re a good girl for me, I’ll make sure it’s worth it.” Adora lets her hand slip forward, rubbing delicate circles over the sensitive skin on her thigh, slowly moving closer to the wetness between Catra’s legs. “I’ll finger fuck you until you come all over my hand. Is that what you want?”

“F-fuck,” Catra whimpers, leaning into Adora’s shoulder, going limp in her arms.

“Will you be a good girl for me?”

“Okay, y-yes.”

“What was that?” Adora raises an eyebrow, inviting Catra to say more.

“I’ll be good,” Catra says, rolling her eyes, but Adora only smiles and waits, edging her hand closer to where Catra needs her but not quite close enough. “I’ll be a good girl,” she sighs, grazing her lips along the side of Adora’s neck.

“Good,” Adora praises, finally tracing her fingers up to the pool of wetness between Catra’s legs. “So wet for me already...” She draws her fingers in a line from Catra’s entrance toward her clit in a slow and careful movement.

Catra gasps while Adora strokes up and down, barely stimulating her, just enough to tease her and work her up.

“All you had to do was be good for me,” Adora whispers as Catra arches closer to her touch. “I’m going to make you feel so good in return.”

“More… please...” Catra begs already, all of her bravado stripped away while she melts into Adora’s calculated, controlled motions around her clit. Adora gives in slightly to Catra’s request, picking up the pace, but it only seems to madden Catra further while she grinds her hips into Adora’s hand.

“How’s that?” Adora says, biting her lower lip, watching Catra’s eyelids flutter while a low growl rises in her chest.

“You know it’s not enough,” Catra grunts, still trying to fuck herself against Adora’s hand. “I want your fingers inside of me.”

Adora rubs a few more circles around her clit before drawing her fingers lower, slipping her middle finger in first, then adding another shortly after, slowly stretching Catra out.

“Such a good girl, letting me take care of you like this.” Adora starts pumping her fingers, using her other hand to support Catra’s back for extra resistance.

“Fuck, you feel so good, Adora,” Catra relaxes in Adora’s arms, letting her head fall back. “One more… I can take it.”

“Mm, so good for me,” Adora hums as she eases back to slip a third finger inside of her. Catra sighs and grinds into her hand. “Good girls get to come. Is that what you want?”

Catra gasps sharply, and Adora pauses, wondering if she’s hurt her until Catra groans and bucks her hips again. “Fuck me harder, and please make me come. I’ll be good. I’ll be so, so good for you, Adora.”  
  
Adora is not prepared to see Catra unravel like this, but she obliges. “I love when you take my fingers.” She sinks deeper into Catra up to her knuckles, using her other hand against Catra’s back to brace her while she fucks her with harder thrusts, intently focused making her feel good.

“Fuck, I’m almost there,” Catra moans while Adora thrusts even harder. Her walls begin to tighten around Adora’s fingers, and Adora brushes her thumb on her clit in circles.

“You’re being so good for me,” Adora praises, keeping up the strokes on her clit while she thrusts into her, feeling Catra’s walls clench and pulsate around her fingers now. “Good girl… Come for me, okay? You can relax now.”

“I love _ah—_ how you make me feel…” Catra cries out while her climax washes over her, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Adora keeps thrusting into her, curling her fingers, wanting to draw this out even longer for Catra. She slows her thrusts but keeps them deep and measured, enjoying the low groans Catra makes now. “Adora,” she whimpers softly, falling limp in her arms, panting against her neck.

Before Adora unties Catra, she withdraws her fingers and brings them to her mouth, licking them clean while Catra watches, her jaw hanging open. “You taste so good,” Adora whispers, taking in as much of Catra as she can into her mouth.

“Fuck,” Catra sighs, seemingly worn out, but her eyes focus sharply on Adora’s lips.

Adora plants a few kisses on Catra’s forehead while she unties her binds. Once her arms are freed, Catra immediately begins running her hands over Adora’s bare chest and down her stomach. She leans in to kiss Adora, letting her tongue slip around Adora’s mouth, tasting herself on her lips while they kiss.

Catra pulls away, eyes blown and a bit breathless. “Do you want to sit on my face?” 

_Well, that was a quick turnaround._

“Yeah,” Adora whispers, reminded of the painful throbbing between her own legs after she has just made Catra come with her fingers. “I want to feel you like that.”

\--

While Catra lies flat on her back, Adora climbs forward from a straddle, letting her knees rest on either side of Catra’s head as she sinks lower toward the bed.

“God, you’re so turned on,” Catra murmurs, licking and biting her way up Adora’s inner thigh. “I can’t wait to taste you.”  
  
“What are you waiting for?” Adora asks impatiently as she sinks lower and closer to Catra’s face. She tousles Catra’s hair in her palm, savoring the purr that rolls out of her now while Catra takes hold of her ass, fixing her in place.

“Like you didn’t spend all that time teasing me,” Catra scoffs, edging her teeth into another bite on Adora’s thigh. “I’m only returning the favor.”

“I need your mouth,” Adora groans as Catra suddenly tongues up from her entrance to her clit, working up to a regular pace. Adora is already so painfully turned on, if Catra keeps this up...

“Hey, I’ve been thinking…” Catra pulls away from her, and the absence of her mouth is total pain.  
  
“Catra… please, I need more...”

“How about I smack you on the ass?” Catra suggests, a devious smirk curling on her lips.

“I mean sure, but I want your mouth too,” Adora sighs, waiting for Catra to do _anything_ at this point. Adora braces herself, but instead of the impact of Catra’s palm, Catra hits her with something else.

“Want to go to Salineas with me today?” Catra asks and then licks a broad stroke against her. 

“What?” Adora’s eyes roll up as she groans, a bit confused, but also… something about this feels _good._

“We could go for a walk by the lake... I don’t know...” As soon as Catra finishes speaking, she wraps her lips around Adora’s clit and takes Adora into her mouth again, resuming fucking her.

The idea that Catra wants to spend more time with her turns on Adora _way_ too much in her already desperate state. “Fuck yeah,” Adora moans loudly, grinding her hips against Catra’s mouth, tense fingers gripping and tugging Catra’s hair. 

_Oh god_ , _what’s happening?_

“Did that do something for you?” Catra teases, flicking and teasing her tongue along Adora’s folds, but Adora can hardly contain the throbbing pulse between her legs.

“Catra,” Adora groans. “I need more of you. I’m close.” She tenses her fingers in Catra’s hair, aching for more of Catra’s mouth on her. _“Please.”_

“But you’re so cute like this,” Catra whispers, withdrawing one hand from her grip on Adora’s ass when suddenly…

_Smack_. 

Catra’s palm strikes Adora squarely on her ass, louder than it stings to be quite fair to her technique. Adora’s eyes go wide while Catra giggles underneath her, clearly in the mood to tease Adora up to the brink of her own sanity. 

Just when Adora is beginning to collect herself, Catra drives her tongue against Adora again. 

“Fuck, Catra,” Adora moans, entangling her fingers in Catra’s hair while she scoffs at the dangerously smug pair of eyes boring into her. “You’re such a… _bitch_ ,” Adora can barely croak it out as Catra laughs against her warmth, still working her tongue, the tension heightening now, almost overwhelming her.

“Would a bitch fuck you like this?” Catra takes Adora deeper into her mouth, sucking lightly and stroking her tongue broadly against Adora, already pushing her toward the edge. The tension is too much to bear now.

_“Ah_ , Catra...” Adora moans violently in some combination of frustration and bliss as her orgasm crashes down on her. Catra presses her face harder into Adora, mismatched eyes intensely focused on her now. Adora would roll her eyes at Catra, but every stroke of Catra’s tongue is shooting warm pleasure into her core, the heat spreading out to her limbs, making her feel amazing.

She nearly collapses forward until Catra braces her up and helps her lie down.

Adora is still breathless when Catra tucks herself into Adora’s shoulder, purring while she traces her fingers up from Adora’s stomach, wandering past her chest and neck up into her hair. Catra’s touch is so soft and light, it feels perfect.

“No,” Adora sighs, her senses coming back to her while she breathes into Catra’s face. “But you're still so... I don't even know,” she says quietly while she lets her hands run up Catra’s back, pulling her closer.

“I thought so,” Catra whispers, smirking as she strokes Adora’s hair. Catra closes the distance between their lips, lightly nipping at Adora’s lower lip. Adora groans into it, she can never have enough of Catra like this, especially after Catra has made her feel really good, even if it was delivered a bit torturously.

* * *

#### Catra: September, Freshman Year at Fright Zone University 

Victory has never tasted so sweet. 

FZU has already won the first game on the court, and now Catra is going to win an even sweeter game off the court. Catra stares through the net as her ex-teammate disappears into the Bright Moon locker room, probably hiding her face from the shame and defeat she bears now. 

All Catra needs to do is deliver one fatal blow, and she would truly crumple Adora. Only then could Adora begin to fathom the amount of pain she dealt to Catra last spring.

Catra swings open the locker room door, already noticing Adora’s hand curling into a fist as if she were expecting her to show up.

“Hey, Adora,” Catra hums, lightly pacing across the room.  
  
“What do you want, Catra?” Adora spits, and she won’t even turn around, but Catra is more than content to take in the sight of Adora’s ass in spandex as she sneaks up on her from behind.

“I just got the impression you wanted to talk to me,” Catra breathes into the back of Adora’s neck once she’s close enough, trying to rile up Adora in one way or another.

“You _clearly_ got the wrong impression, then,” Adora snaps, her words burning so hot, Catra can feel the heat rolling off her tongue.

_Did I?_

“Woah, easy there, tiger,” Catra prods her further. “Can we be civil?”

“Like you would be civil right now, if that game had ended differently.” Adora slams her locker shut, making her way to the showers, about to strip from her uniform before she pauses with a judgmental scowl. “You need to leave,” she mutters, like a goddamn tease.

Catra knows how to tease as well, and it’s too bad Adora can only hide so much from her. She lets her tail lash behind her while she folds her arms across her chest, a devilish grin widening on her lips. “What? It’s not like I’m going to see anything I haven’t seen before.”  
  
“Fine,” Adora grunts, peeling off her jersey, stupidly cut abs revealing themselves underneath her uniform. Now Catra can’t even bring herself to look, because she can’t let herself get distracted when her plan is at stake. “But only if we can talk about what happened at semi-finals.”

Catra freezes, her tail slowing and dropping to her ankles.

_You’re a cruel bitch for going there, Adora._

She wants to say it, but she has to maintain her resolve and shut out those painful memories before she loses this game to Adora. She can’t let Adora get under her skin like that.

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” Catra insists, hoping to divert the conversation to the real reason why she came here. 

“Really, Catra?” Adora digs the knife in deeper, stubborn and unrelenting.

“You already said everything you needed to say,” Catra grumbles, working to maintain a calloused exterior. “And I get that you’re still pissed we lost the championships to Salineas High but—” 

“I’m not referring to that. I meant after—”

“Just shut up!” Catra snarls, her face burning in anguish, chest heaving in her frustration. She can barely make eye contact with her naked, showering ex-teammate who is somehow making _her_ feel more exposed. “I told you I don’t want to talk about semi-finals.”

“Well, it hurt like shit that you ignored me all summer, Catra. And now, you’re obviously here just to rub your victory in my face.”

“That isn’t why I’m here, Adora.” With one fatal sweep, she can cut Adora out of her life for good. 

“So what is it, then?” Adora scoffs.

_I came here to tell you the truth._

_I want to make you cry._

_You deserve to know how much you hurt me._

“Well, I came here to… you know what— _never mind_. I don’t even know why I’m still here anyway,” she sighs weakly.

“Are you here because you miss me?” Adora asks, and Catra didn’t know the knife in her chest could sink in any deeper.

“Are you kidding? I don’t miss you,” Catra lashes back, crumbling into herself. She needs to run away quickly before she cries in front of Adora. She can’t let Adora know how much she’s hurting. She can’t let Adora know that she’s won. 

“Sure you don’t, why else are you still here? I didn’t know you wanted it so badly.” 

Catra sulks in disbelief that Adora would actually stoop this low. When she blinks, she sees her claws dragging down Adora’s neck, the pain of rejection ripping a hole in her heart as she fights back the searing tears that threaten to pour out of her.

“Fuck you, Adora,” Catra barely croaks, her vision clouded as she rushes out of the locker room, searching for the nearest corner to tuck herself into and cry her heart out.

* * *

#### Catra (Now)

Adora takes Catra’s hand in hers while they stroll together along the shore of Lake Salineas, delicate waves splashing at their feet. 

“Couldn’t have picked a better day to come out here,” Adora says as they both observe the shallow, cresting waves, glimmering with the afternoon sun.

“Pretty lucky,” Catra says, and she almost regrets inviting Adora here. It was so spur of the moment, she wasn’t ready to face the idea of Adora leaving, but now that Adora is here holding her hand, the unpleasant feelings are welling up again.

“I missed this,” Adora says, squeezing Catra’s hand. “I’m glad that we’ve become close again.”

Catra lets out a low sigh. She likes holding Adora’s hand, spending time with her, and having sex with her, but she feels so weak, like she could collapse at any moment from the pressure of it all. “Yeah, me too,” she whispers, but it feels like a lie. All of this feels like a lie; it’s all too good to be true.

“I’m just happy to have you back, that I’ve finally fixed us.” Adora beams at her, living in her own perfect world, so blissfully unaware of how every little decision she makes cuts into Catra so deeply.

“You can’t fix everything, Adora,” Catra mutters, digging her heels into the sand.

“What do you mean? It can’t hurt to try...” She trails off in a trembling laugh, her grin drooping, eyebrows sagging with concern.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t keep doing this.” Catra slips her hand from Adora’s grasp and folds her arms across her chest. “You can’t make up your mind on anything, and it’s hurting me.”

“But I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then what _do_ you want, Adora?” Catra grunts before turning her head away. “Fuck, never mind. If you were going to say what I wanted you to say, you would have done it by now. Whatever this is, I shouldn’t be—I _can’t_ do this anymore.”

“Catra, wait!” Adora cries after her as Catra breaks into a sprint, headed for the docks. 

She races as fast as she can, knowing Adora can’t be too far behind her. Catra finds a raised dock, about eight feet tall and quickly climbs up the pole beside a locked gate, as Adora would have to turn around eventually, certainly. Once Catra boards the dock, she catches her breath, safe up here, away from the danger of her emotions.

Until her crazy idiot begins scaling the pole after her. Adora’s technique is a bit sloppier than her own, relying on gripping the pole with her thighs between pulls, eyebrows furrowed in her concentrated effort.  
  
Crossing her arms, Catra sighs. “Don’t hurt yourself, Adora. _Please._ ” She extends her hand to help Adora up once she’s climbed high enough on the pole, making sure Adora gets onto the platform safely.

“You deserve to know why I went to Bright Moon,” Adora pants, closing her eyes and sprawling out on her back. “I don’t want to hurt you by keeping things from you, Catra. Even if it means I can’t fix us after this.”

* * *

The two dangle their legs off the edge of the dock, looking over the lake while the orange sun beats down on the rippling water below them.

“You’re actually going to tell me?” Catra whispers while Adora reaches to her left to take hold of Catra’s hand. 

Adora is relieved when Catra doesn’t pull back from her touch, but the dread creeps up on her again.

“Yeah.” Adora squeezes Catra’s hand tightly in hers, because it might be the last opportunity she has to do so. “You deserve to know the truth.”  
  
“I’m listening,” Catra says blankly.

“I left because… well, it might sound stupid, but it’s because of my major,” Adora says when suddenly, she feels a press on her back, and the ground is removed from underneath her as she hurtles toward the water below.

“Are you fucking…” A voice quickly fades away as Adora crashes into the lake, followed by another splash to her left shortly after. Adora bobs above the water with a shocked gasp just as Catra’s face emerges beside her, grimacing.

“Your fucking major?” Catra screams at her then tilts her head back with a loud groan. “That’s what you’ve been keeping from me?”

“It’s not like that,” Adora says, but she can only laugh at the sight of Catra treading water right now, her ears falling flat in their drenched state. “Did you just jump off a dock for me?” Adora cocks an eyebrow while she swims toward Catra.

“What? Shut up!” Catra shoves a splash of water in her face. “I mean… I did push you in.”

“That’s fair actually.”

\--

“I’m sorry I pushed you off a dock,” Catra says through a shiver, shaking the water off herself as they walk to the shore and settle on the beach. “You made it seem like your decision was so secretive and important. Something you didn’t want to tell me. _That_ sounded pretty stupid, even for you.”

“Well, it’s more than that,” Adora says, digging a hand into the sand as if it’ll alleviate the tension in her body. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life besides play volleyball and have you as my best friend, and I was okay with that up until… until Weaver hurt you, Catra. After that, I felt like I had to rethink everything if I couldn’t trust myself to stay by your side. I only wanted to take care of you.”

Adora gulps as Catra silently nods, waiting for her to continue.

“So I did everything I could to make sure I could help you recover from your injury. I researched all night, made sure I saved time in the morning to help you stretch and decompress after each day. All of that made me realize that I really liked helping you, Catra.”

Catra shifts closer to her in the sand, and Adora can only watch in horror, trying to get the last glimpse of a Catra who is willing to be close to her like this.

“More than that, I had finally realized what I wanted from my life, and what I needed doesn’t even exist at FZU, but Bright Moon has a whole program dedicated to it. Helping you led me to finding something I feel really passionate about.”  
  
“Adora,” Catra whispers, shutting her eyes tightly. “I need to—”

“I didn’t want you to find out that my decision only happened because you got hurt.” Adora can’t even stop herself from rambling now, she needs to tell Catra the whole truth. Catra deserves to know. “I didn’t want you to find out that I had _gained_ something from it all... How could you want to be close to me after that? How could I ever fix things between us if you knew all the ways your injury benefited me? When it was all my fault that it happened in the first place...”

Catra opens her mouth to try to say something, but Adora _has_ to keep going, she’s in too deep. 

“Bright Moon has an advanced program in Sports Medicine, and I realized that’s what I wanted to do with my life... maybe become a physical therapist,” Adora feels a heat creeping up in her eyes and she pauses, curling her knees to her chest. “To help people like I helped you, Catra... I finally felt like I had a purpose, like something I was doing was meaningful for someone else.”

“I’m happy that you figured out what you wanted,” Catra whispers, moving closer to her now, running a hand along Adora’s back. 

“I didn’t feel like I could tell you, because I was so afraid of losing our closeness. Helping you recover during those weeks, I actually had to _think_ about what I wanted for once, and it made me realize that I’m in love with you, Catra.”

“What—”

“And I’ve loved you for so much longer than that. I just didn’t realize until I was suddenly changing plans for my future, and rethinking every decision I’ve ever made. I always saw you in my future, in whatever way you’d let me stay in your life.”

Catra bites her lip, and then she snorts loudly, striking her palm to her forehead.

_Is Catra... laughing at me? Wait, she’s shaking her head…_

“You sweet, beautiful, absolute moron. How did I fall in love with someone so stupid?”  
  
“You love me?” Adora’s jaw hangs open while Catra laughs _hysterically_ next to her.  
  
“Of course, I love you, Adora. For fucks sake, I poured my heart out to you last night, and you had the fucking _nerve_ to fall asleep on me... If it wasn’t so damn cute, I’d have slapped you awake.”

“Catra, I just—I felt really safe with you.” Adora’s heart blooms with a new warmth she didn’t know she was capable of feeling.

“I know,” Catra sighs, tilting her head and edging closer to Adora’s face. “That was the cute part.”

Adora grabs the collar of Catra’s shirt and pulls her into a heated kiss. She runs a hand up Catra’s neck and lets her fingers slip through Catra’s hair while they deepen the kiss, taking each other in. Catra hums into her lips and rolls her tongue against Adora’s while they press tightly against each other. _This_ is everything that Adora wanted and so much more. 

Breaking the kiss, Adora pants slowly, inches from Catra’s face while warm, salty tears well in her eyes. “I’m sorry I was so focused on trying to fix everything that I ended up hurting you.” She takes another shaky breath as Catra sinks into her chest, purring while Adora strokes her hair. “I _know_ that I can’t fix everything, if anything, taking all of these physiology classes has taught me that not everything can be healed. I really hoped—I didn’t want that to include _us.”_

“It never had to include us,” Catra whispers, tracing her hand down Adora’s leg.

“I’m just sorry that it took you getting hurt for me to realize what I wanted.” Adora sighs weakly, the tears dripping down her cheeks.

“Hey,” Catra whispers, wiping some of Adora’s tears away with her thumb, cupping Adora’s cheek. “It’s not your fault that Weaver hurt me. Her cruelty is not your burden to carry.”

“Catra…” Adora whispers, and she hugs Catra, holding her like she never wants to let go. After a moment, she feels Catra tensing and slipping from her hold. “What is it?”

“I almost hurt you once, Adora, like _really_ hurt you.” Catra scrunches her face and a tear slips out from her amber eye. “What I told you last night about Weaver’s threat, I thought about using that to hurt you after our game in September, but I couldn't go through with it." Catra sighs and clenches her teeth before continuing. "When you brought up semi-finals again—it had me spiraling, and I had to run away because I felt so exposed in front of you. The next time we spoke, you let me hit _—ugh... you hurt_ yourself out of your own guilt, Adora. What kind of monster would I be to go through with it after that? Knowing what you were capable of doing...”

“I’m so sorry, Catra. It wasn’t okay for me to do something like that.”

Catra sniffles and strokes behind Adora’s ear, tucking a loose lock of hair from her ponytail away.

“Still, I always knew that I had an out, in case I let myself feel too much, let you in too close,” Catra says, her face softening as she meets Adora’s eyes. “But I knew I could never _really_ let myself have you, knowing that I could hurt you at any moment. I needed you to be able to trust me again after all of these stupid games.” Catra digs her hand into the sand at that thought. “I lost myself in them so badly, I couldn’t even remember where or why they began. All I know is that it was never what I really wanted. Hurting you didn’t feel good, as much as I thought it might help me get over you. I’m sorry, Adora.” 

“Of course I forgive you, and I’m sorry that I closed myself off to you. You deserved to know the truth about why I switched schools. I didn’t want to hide things from you, but I did and I hurt you, Catra. I wanted so badly to tell you, I was just so afraid of losing _us_. You always meant so much to me.”

“There’s a lot of risk in opening yourself up, being vulnerable just for a small chance at getting what you really want. After all of this... I’d like to think it’s worth it.”

“So worth it,” Adora whispers, clasping Catra’s hand in hers.

“We’ll have to come back here some other time, you know?” Catra nods toward the beach volleyball courts. 

“You want me to kick your ass on the sand too?” Adora nudges into Catra’s shoulder.

_"Hah_ _!_ As if…” Catra takes a fistful of sand and hurls it at Adora’s legs. “I was actually thinking we could play together. You know... as teammates.”

“I’d really like—I’d love that.”

“We always said it would be you and me, on the same side of the net.” Catra smiles at her, taking Adora’s hand in hers and interlocking their fingers together.

“You and me,” Adora whispers, losing herself in the warmest gaze she has ever seen from Catra.

Nothing has ever felt so sweet and so right. Not in her entire life.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone
> 
> wow conflict resolution??? they actually talked about their feelings!??! but there's one more chapter... are you going to break our hearts?  
> No i will not break hearts, i just had some ideas for extra smuff & epilogue lol
> 
> thank you so much Emma (first pic) and @FBiosca (cartoon) for the beautiful art <3 i love it so so so much
> 
> this [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7_jYYISAbM) by Cults was kind of my mood for how i feel the ending vibes. listen if you would like <3
> 
> thank you all so much for reading, this has been a wild ride. i am excited to share the final pages of this journey, and i hope to see you all for the final chapter when its ready
> 
> especially if you've been silently reading along / lurking id love to hear from you. i am always curious to know who is on the other end of this niche corner of the internet
> 
> cheers and thank you for reading <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/lifeisgay69) and [tumblr](https://lifeisgay69.tumblr.com/)


	9. championships/teammates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ok, time to write the fan service chapter!!  
> …  
> …  
> …  
> Me: *writes the most self-indulgent ending i can think of with lots of porn* 
> 
> seriously, the porn is dialed up a few notches in this one… def switched heavy gears from plot brain to porn brain. I honestly deserve a few bonks for writing this
> 
> 😅 oh well, welcome to the porn epilogue

**Adora (Now)**

“What’s gotten into you, Adora? It’s almost like you _want_ to lose the game,” Catra jeers at her from across the net. She groans loudly, almost _lewdly_ while she stretches her arms behind herself, drawing attention to the crimson #69 blazing on the front of her black FZU jersey.

_Seriously, who approved that?_

Two can play this game. Adora pulls her right leg into a quad stretch while Catra’s eyes unsubtly trace along her gleaming leg, bulging from the stretch. “You _know_ that’s not true.” Adora takes a deep breath. She needs to focus, but Catra isn’t making this easy for her.

Bow serves a powerful bullet hurtling into FZU’s deep middle court, and Kyle manages to dig the ball but only barely. Catra chases after the volleyball as it veers into an awkward position off the side of the court.

Adora and Perfuma gear up to block Scorpia’s spike when Adora finds herself staring at Catra again, who is making a _crude_ gesture with her fist and rolling her eyes into the back of her head. Distracted, Adora misses the timed jump by a mile, but fortunately, Perfuma blocks the spike anyway, knocking the volleyball back into FZU’s court with a low bounce.

“Wow! That was amazing, babe! You never fail to inspire me,” Scorpia cheers with a giddy smile and claps her pincers.

“I love you so much.” Perfuma blows her a kiss from across the net.

“How many times do I have to remind you _not_ to cheer for them?” Catra scoffs at Scorpia.

It’s not long before Fright Zone University creeps up on BMC’s lead, eventually surpassing it. Catra’s serve has been ruthless, Bright Moon players colliding with each other as Catra pinpoints vulnerabilities in their defensive line.

A smaller voice pipes up from Adora’s left. “What has gotten into you today, Adora?” Glimmer accuses, and Adora’s face burns hotter, already flush from the game.

“I don’t know… it’s Catra again. She’s just _frustrating.”_

“Seriously, get it together. We’re not going to lose this because…” Glimmer’s voice trails off and that’s a good thing because Adora can hardly focus, because Catra is bending over to tie her shoes in an unnecessary fashion, her legs completely straight while she leans over, providing a clear view for Adora.

Adora wants to take a fistful of Catra.

Her eyes are glued to Catra’s ass in tight spandex, then Catra arches up again, a prominent canine hooked over her lower lip while she smirks in her direction.

“Wait a minute…” Glimmer laughs and Adora’s chest brims with concern. “Are you guys playing a game?” 

_Woah. Woah. Woah._

“W-what are you saying, Glimmer?” Adora’s heart thuds. She gnaws on the inside of her cheek.

“Oh my god,” Glimmer hisses, running to her position as Rogelio serves in the BMC court. “You guys are _totally_ playing a sex game.”

The wind is knocked out of Adora’s chest. “We’re not—” 

“What the fuck, Adora? It’s our championship game, and we’re seriously losing because you want Catra to top you so badly… unbelievable.” Glimmer sets the ball for Perfuma on her left, who spikes another point for BMC.

“Okay, first of all. I top _obviously,”_ Adora starts when Catra snorts loudly, her ears pricked forward while she overhears their conversation. She lowers her voice and whispers between clenched teeth, “Also we are _not_ playing a sex game.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.” Glimmer shoots Adora a lingering glare. 

“Okay, that’s enough, Sprinkles,” Catra interrupts from the other side of the next. 

Now, Adora _has_ to win this, if not to prove a point then it’s to spare what little of her dignity Glimmer has not yet torn to shreds. The referee tosses her the ball for her turn to serve in the rotation. She bounces it off the court a few times at her feet, adjusting to the pressure on her palm, working her muscle memory in preparation for her serve as she approaches the back line. 

Beads of sweat trickle down Adora’s forehead. The fifth game of the match is heating up, the two teams tied as the end of the game comes near.

She focuses on her jump approach forward, shoulder rotating into a powerful strike as her palm connects with the ball.

Adora _has_ to win this.

Although, losing wouldn’t be so bad.

 _No._

She can’t.

FZU returns the ball into BMC’s court.

Adora dives into the sideline, narrowly digging the ball to Perfuma in middle court. Perfuma sets for Bow along left court, and he scores another point for BMC, giving them a one point lead.

Only one point until victory.

Catra is pacing back and forth on her side of the court. Adora can sense her apprehension or possibly her _excitement_ from across the net. 

She can only hope it’s the latter.

The ref tosses the ball to Adora for another serve. If Bright Moon can win this point, the championship title is theirs to claim. 

Adora smacks the ball against the court a few times, her hand tingling, heart racing as she mentally prepares herself. She tosses the ball into the air and her hand collides squarely with it, drilling the ball into the back left corner. Kyle and Rogelio both dive for it and it ricochets off Rogelio's forearm, careening out of bounds.

“Ace!” Bow yells and starts running toward her.

“Fuck yeah!” Glimmer cheers.

Suddenly, Adora is pulled into a tight hug, swarmed by teammates, light-headed as the blood in her body is squeezed up to her head. When her vision clears, she sees Scorpia holding Perfuma in an embrace, Bow and Glimmer hugging each other too when a hand clasps her wrist, tugging away from her teammates.

“That was a killer serve, baby.” Catra blinks at her, loosening her grip on Adora’s wrist. She lets her hand trail along Adora’s back and she pulls Adora into a warm hug, both still coming down from the adrenaline of the match.

“You weren’t going easy on me,” Adora sighs, closing her eyes and settling her breath, heart thudding in her chest, slowing down yet pounding harder.

They stay there like this, holding each other while they catch their breath. After some time, Catra leans into Adora’s shoulder and presses a soft kiss at the base of her neck. “Looks like I’m yours now, Adora,” she whispers into her ear, and Adora’s fingers reflexively curl against Catra’s back. 

_Fuck._

She feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to face Bow and Glimmer, holding hands and bearing gentle smiles. 

“Do you both want to watch _The Dragon Prince_ with me and Bow later? You would love it... there are some seriously hot milfs in this show.”

“And elf daddies!” Bow chimes in, beaming.

“The elf daddies are fucking wonderful,” Glimmer affirms.

Adora considers the _admittedly_ tempting offer, but she has already made plans. “I would but—”  
  
“Oh, _come on_ Adora.” Glimmer rolls her eyes dramatically. “I know you would love it. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at my mom.”

Adora’s jaw falls open. “Holy shit, _Glimmer.”_

Catra keels over in laughter, wheezing like a hyena. “Okay, I take back everything I said about you, Glimmer.” She rises and wipes a tear from her eye with her jersey. “If there’s one thing I love more than Adora, it’s roasting her.”

“Hey!” Adora grunts, nudging into Catra’s shoulder. She would try to come up with a rebuttal, but she’s a terrible liar as it is. The sooner this conversation can move on, the better.

“Not my fault though, babe. You’re an easy target.” Catra hooks an arm around her lower back. “And as much as we’d love to enjoy fantasy milfs with you both tonight, Adora is going to uh… well, I sort of lost a game.” She winks at Glimmer.

If Adora has ever wished for death to claim her, now would be a good time.

“I fucking knew it. You both disgust me.” Glimmer’s eyes threaten violence but soften after a moment. “At least, Adora isn’t totally a bottom, otherwise, I don’t know how we could have won championships.”

“Whatever,” Catra sighs, and Adora can detect a trace of bitterness in her tone, despite Catra’s sportsmanship after it all. Catra’s fingers curl around her wrist, claws edging out. “Adora, it’s time for us to leave.”

“Already?” Adora teases and winces at Catra’s hold, pricking her skin hard enough to send a message without breaking through skin. 

With a sudden tug, Catra pulls her away.

* * *

When Catra steps out of the shower, she doesn’t bother dressing herself. There’s no need for pretense after their agreement last week.

Adora won the game. 

Catra isn’t even _that_ mad about it. Sure, she’s a little mad, _okay._ She reasoned there was a fair chance that Adora might win, so she came up with a backup plan just in case. The best part about her plan is that Adora will still _think_ she’s in control. 

After wringing out her hair, Adora exits the shower and wraps a towel at her waist.

She has no idea what’s coming for her.

* * *

Adora scrapes her fingers up Catra’s back while Catra straddles her lap. 

“I need to make you feel good.” Adora wants to tie Catra’s wrists, bend her over the bed, and stretch her out with the toy until Catra screams her name while she comes.

Besides, Adora won the game after all. They had an agreement.

Leaning into her neck, Catra runs a trail of kisses up to her ear. “I had an idea,” she whispers. “I want you to wear a vibrator under the strap.”

 _Oh fuck,_ that would feel good. Almost too good.

Adora can almost come from taking Catra with a strap without any other stimulation. An extra component would certainly accelerate the process, but the idea is far too hot to pass up on. She sighs, tension burning in her legs, imagination running wild. 

“And I’ll hold the remote,” Catra adds with a smirk, a flicker of _something_ in her eyes, possibly mischief, but Adora is confident she can squash whatever it is and have Catra submit to her. 

“I want to try it,” Adora whispers, and Catra melts into her lips and eases her hips into Adora’s abs. Catra groans as she fucks herself against Adora, her arousal coating Adora’s stomach. As much as Adora loves taking control, she also loves watching Catra _lose_ control. She can let Catra have this for a little longer. 

Catra pulls away from the kiss, pupils blown out, hot air puffing in Adora’s face. 

“I can’t wait, Princess.”

* * *

Catra holds out her arms for Adora, hips twitching while she’s straddled about Adora’s waist. From beside them, Adora picks a short, red rope and begins looping the binds around Catra’s wrists in front of her. 

“How does that feel, baby? Not too tight?” Adora asks after she secures the rope in place.

It never fails to turn Catra on when Adora checks in on her and makes sure she feels safe. She always feels safe with Adora. She trusts Adora more than she trusts anyone. Catra stretches against the binds on her wrists. “Feels good,” she murmurs, sinking closer to Adora, feeling her body surrender to Adora’s words and careful touches. _You always feel so good._

Stroking up Catra’s back until her fingers reach Catra’s neck and hair, Adora runs her fingers through short tufts, pulling lightly and scratching.

“Will my kitten be good for me?” Adora asks, wrapping her hand Catra’s thigh, digging her grip while her other hand still teases Catra’s hair.

“Yeah,” Catra gasps and eases her hips into Adora’s stomach, letting herself have more of Adora while she still can. “I need you to fuck me,” she begs shamelessly. While Adora doesn’t need to know that Catra won’t _totally_ be good for her, she won’t mind in the end either. 

“I know,” Adora replies, voice low and smug.

_Fuck, I’d like to break you._

Adora rises with Catra in her lap, supporting under her thighs while she lowers Catra gently on her back. Brawny hands grip Catra’s thighs and spread them apart, and Adora falls to her knees. 

“I need to taste you,” Adora murmurs and nips a tender spot on Catra’s inner thigh and _damn,_ Catra might end up broken first, her resolve cracking with every touch. Adora kisses and bites her way closer to where Catra needs her, and it only fuels the fire burning between her legs.

“So taste me alr— _god,_ Adora,” Catra whimpers, and losing their game feels _right_ when Adora’s tongue begins to stroke against her. “Yeah… _fuck.”_

Bold blue eyes lock with her gaze as Adora buries her face into Catra, sucking her clit while she wraps her arms underneath and around Catra’s thighs, pulling Catra closer to her face. Adora takes Catra deeper into her mouth, tongue working broad strokes in a practiced rhythm. Catra’s thighs clench around Adora’s head as the intensity ramps up in her core, stifling a moan as she bites down her lower lip.

Hands bound and draped across her own stomach, Catra lowers them, letting her fingers thread with strands of Adora’s hair, still let down after the shower. 

“Just like that… _fuck,_ I’m close,” Catra moans, grinding her hips up into Adora’s face, pulling harder on Adora’s hair.

A deep, husky laugh rumbles in Adora’s throat as she slows her tongue and presses a kiss lower by Catra’s entrance. She smiles, the sweet relief of her mouth gone far too soon.

“Hey… I want _more,”_ Catra growls, but she knows making demands is futile when Adora is in the mood to domme.

Adora wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, a smirk revealing itself as her hand pulls away from her lips.  
  
“If you want more, you’ll be on your hands and knees when I return.” Adora pushes against Catra’s legs as she rises from her knees. She ambles across the room, probably in search of the largest dildo she can find in Catra’s collection.

Catra sighs, but it does nothing to level the tension in her chest or dull the ache between her legs. She can only do as she’s been told. She’ll play Adora’s little game. It’ll be worth it to see the look on Adora’s face when she finally breaks.

Catra rolls over on the bed, waiting on her hands and knees for Adora to return.

Definitely degrading. Definitely hot.

Adora reemerges with their _second largest_ toy, tightening the straps around her harness as she steps across the room to the bed.

“If I give you the remote, will you behave?” Adora asks, and Catra drops her head to hide her grin.

“Yes,” Catra lies, like a fucking liar. 

“Good girl,” Adora praises, and Catra tenses her stomach to hold back a laugh. 

Adora tosses the remote near Catra’s hands, a foolish mistake. Catra takes the remote and curls her fingers around it, and _god,_ she loves her dumbass so much.

Her gaze lingers on Adora who is applying lube to the tip of the toy and down the shaft, a sight that makes Catra _weak_ in the knees and greedy. She groans, more aware of her poised hips, vulnerable but ready for Adora.

Strong hands grip Catra’s waist, and the shaft of the toy strokes against her clit underneath her, cold at first touch. She swivels her hips down for more relief, much needed after Adora left her hanging.

“Is my kitten ready to take this?”

“Yes, I can take it,” Catra whimpers, perhaps too earnest, and Adora presses the tip of the toy against her entrance. “Please...”

“Good kitten,” Adora praises as she slides the toy in, slow and controlled. “Let me know if it’s too much.” She presses further and Catra clenches her teeth until the initial pinch dissipates and the base of the toy meets her entrance, filling her all the way.

“Fuck,” Catra gasps as Adora begins to work her hips, grip still tight on Catra’s waist for resistance. Adora thrusts deeper and harder now, her breath loud and ragged.

One of her hands leaves Catra's waist and trails up to her hair, taking hold of Catra here.

“How’s that, baby?” Adora asks, her breath warm against Catra’s back as she slows to press a few kisses between Catra’s shoulder blades.

“Good,” Catra sighs, arching her back into Adora’s warm, wet kisses. “I need more.. _.harder, please_.”

Adora kisses her once more and ruffles Catra’s hair before she draws her hands down to Catra’s waist, fixing her in place while she thrusts harder into Catra. “Like this?”

“Yes,” Catra croaks weakly, the tension ramping in her core, almost too much to bear now as Adora works with the same vigor and determination she showed earlier on the court.

She stretches Catra out, sinking the toy all the way in and pausing. “Were you going to turn on the vibrator? It’s not on,” Adora tells her, like Catra doesn’t know that already.

“Oh, it isn’t on?” Catra teases, enclosing the button in her hand, curling her fingers around it.

“You’re getting in my head again,” Adora accuses with a weak twitch of her hips, but it’s enough friction to make Catra moan. “I should punish you for being such a _brat.”_

“I dare you to try,” Catra goads her on, and she feels one of Adora’s hand slip lower to rub circles on her clit. This doesn’t exactly feel like punishment to her, but _damn,_ it feels good to be touched like this.

Adora eases her hips again, thrusting the toy in and out while she works her fingers. “I don’t need to come, I get enough from seeing you like this. So undone for me, kitten.”

Catra feels as weak as she has ever felt, like the button in her palm means _nothing_ to Adora. Adora will get to come, but she doesn’t need to know that yet. Catra feels more aware of her own needs now with Adora fucking her from behind, one hand reaching around to stroke her.

“Adora, can I come?” Catra asks, because as much as she loves messing with Adora, she still wants to be good for her.

“You want my permission?”  
  
“I _need_ your permission to come,” Catra says again, because she needs this now more than anything. She doesn’t know how much longer she can hold back with Adora fucking her like this, her own legs twitching, core tense.

“Such a good girl. Let go for me, kitten.” Adora sinks the toy deeper in a slow thrust and eases in and out while she traces circles against Catra. “I’ve got you. Come for me.”

Catra screams Adora’s name when she comes, the only word that rolls off her tongue besides _fuck_ and _yes_ , crying out between breaths.

“Fuck, Adora,” Catra whines as Adora pulls out of her, and she collapses onto the bed, rolling to her side, chest heaving and eyes fluttering.

Adora straddles her waist to help untie her wrists and begins to massage them gently. After getting fucked that hard, Catra needs a few moments to collect herself before she can take care of Adora.

“Why would you have me wear the vibrator if you weren’t going to use it?” Adora asks as if it wasn’t her own fault for letting Catra hold the remote. Dumbass.

“Who said I wasn’t going to use it?” Catra poses the question, fiddling with the remote in her palm while Adora watches, eyes greedy.

Catra climbs out from underneath Adora and falls to her knees beside the bed, waiting for Adora to come closer.

“Do you want my mouth, Adora?” 

As if Adora’s brain has short-circuited, her jaw falls slack and she lets out a soft groan as Catra strokes up her leg, more aware of Catra’s intentions now. 

Catra presses a kiss to the base of the shaft.

“Yes,” Adora whispers, and Catra pulls back, pressing kisses along the shaft as she makes her way toward the head. She wraps her lips around the tip of the toy, gradually taking the cock into her mouth, coated with her own slick.

* * *

The vibration hits Adora with the subtlety of a tsunami. Adora can’t look away, the sight of Catra on her knees taking the strap into her mouth as mesmerizing as it is dangerous. Combined with the stimulation of the vibrator, Adora’s knees buckle underneath herself. Catra senses Adora’s struggle, and she grips behind Adora’s thighs while she pushes the toy further into her mouth.

At once, Catra pulls away quickly, a trail of saliva following her lips from the tip of the toy. Adora is so close, ready for more of Catra’s mouth like this, when Catra pushes the button again.

Off.

And _nothing._ Adora’s thighs are twitching, her center pulsing with need, just a bit more of this could push her over the edge. Catra bares her fangs in a cheeky grin and kisses along Adora’s thighs.

“Catra, I need more of you. Please, I’m close,” Adora whispers, and it takes her a moment to realize _she’s_ the one begging here, when she won their game after all. She’s supposed to be the one in control, but right now her pleasure is literally in the palm of Catra’s hand, that stupid little button deciding whether she gets to come or not.

“Do you want to come in my mouth?” Catra takes her lower lip into her mouth, a sharp fang framing her devilish smirk.

Adora could cry.  
  
“Yes, _god yes,_ ” she moans and Catra takes the cock into her mouth again and the vibration resuming as she bobs her head up and down the shaft, blue and yellow eyes making fierce eye contact with her when Adora senses the burst that’s out of her control, knees buckling while Catra presses against her thighs to support her weight. 

_“Fuck,_ Catra,” Adora cries out, combing her fingers through Catra’s hair, shutting her eyes as the sensation washes over her. Catra grips the base of the toy, pressing it into Adora as she works her mouth, coaxing Adora through her orgasm.

Catra turns off the vibrator and helps Adora out of her harness before they lie down in bed together. 

They snuggle under the covers while Adora catches her breath, words still failing her after the whole ordeal. She simply reaches for Catra’s hand, intertwining their fingers while they face each other, fronts pressed together.

“Like I _wouldn’t_ get you off,” Catra breaks the silence and presses a kiss to Adora’s cheek. “It was fun playing with you.”

Adora wraps her arms around Catra, pulling Catra into her chest as she scratches up and down her back. “As much as you tease me sometimes, I don’t think I could live a day without it,” she says honestly. 

Catra kisses lower along her breasts, which Adora _should_ have anticipated given where she just moved her. 

“I love you so much,” Catra whispers, burying her face in Adora’s chest, purring loudly while her tail thumps against the bed.

“I love you too, baby.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” She nips a sensitive spot on Adora’s breast, toothy grin widening.

“Hey!” Adora groans as Catra squirms her way up to kiss her. Legs tangling together in bed, they press into each other, taking each other's lips. Adora can never get enough of Catra’s taste on her tongue. 

Catra pulls away to face her and Adora easily loses herself in the warmth of her gaze. She can hardly remember, but there was a time she thought she’d never see or feel this warmth again in her life. 

Adora tightens her hold on Catra in her arms. She wants to hold onto Catra for as long as she can, keep her close, and never let go.

* * *

**Adora (10 years later)**

Warm, coarse sand brushes against Adora’s forearms as she dives for the ball, scooping it up toward Catra.

From middle court, Catra sets a perfect volley along the right side of the net. Even though Adora’s own game is a bit rusty, Catra hasn’t lost any of her agility as far as Adora can tell.

Adora jumps into the air, arm wound back, ready to snap forward at the right moment. With Glimmer waiting at middle court for her to strike and Bow’s hands poised to block, Adora slows her approach at the last second to tip the ball up lightly. The ball falls behind Bow into the sand with a soft thud.

“Fuck,” Glimmer yells out, tilting her head up at the orange, baking sun. “This isn’t even remotely fair.”

Adora laughs, enjoying a perfect afternoon with friends, the cool breeze rolling off Lake Salineas and brushing against her hair.

A soft pair of arms wrap around her. Catra has snuck up on her from behind, and she presses a stream of kisses against her back and along her shoulders. “You know, I’m glad we weren’t teammates in college. Winning would have gotten super boring after a while.”

“Always so modest, love.”

“Hey! I’m bragging on your behalf too.” Catra’s palm pushes harder against her stomach, kneading her abs. 

From across the net, Bow raises an eyebrow, shooting Adora a knowing look. He doesn’t have to say anything to ask: _Are you ready?_

Adora smiles and nods.

Bow reaches into his shorts pocket and hucks the small box over the net in an easy throw. Adora barely moves, only raising her hand to catch the box.

* * *

For once in her life, Adora has caught her off guard. 

Catra shouldn’t be surprised.

But she _is_ , damn it. 

Adora squirms out of her hold and drops with one knee buried in the sand. “I have never been so certain about something in my entire life. Being with you through everything has felt _right_.”

“So…” Adora chuckles, biting her lip, blue eyes soft as they lock with her gaze. “You make me nervous, Catra. When I imagined us being teammates, this wasn’t what I had ever expected, and yet this is much more than I could have ever hoped for.”

Adora pops the box open.

“Catra, will you marry me?”

Catra freezes in place, except for a small tear gliding down her cheek. “You are such an… _asshole_ ,” she scoffs as she falls to her knees in front of Adora, inches from her face.

“W-wha—”  
  
Catra grips the collar of Adora’s hoodie and pulls her into a heated kiss. Breathless, she pulls away, shaking her head as she laughs at the goofy look on her fiancée’s face. “Of course, I’ll marry you, but you _knew_ I was going to propose in two weeks once you finally settled the lease for your practice.”

“Really? You—how was I supposed to know that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Catra says and then sighs, lowering her voice. “I wanted to celebrate that you finally got everything you wanted.”  
  
“But I already _do_ have everything I want.” A dopey grin widens on Adora’s lips. 

Her moron should have killed her years ago saying stuff like this, if only Catra didn’t love her so much for it.

“I love you.” Catra smiles, edging closer to Adora’s face. “You know I always will.”

“I love—” Adora doesn’t get the chance to finish her thought when Catra presses against her lips again, snipping Adora’s ponytail so she can entangle her fingers in locks of her hair. “—you too,” she mumbles against Catra’s lips. 

* * *

**Catra (10 years + 2 weeks later)**

By the late afternoon, Catra suspects Adora has wrapped things up for the day. A brand-new, custom-made hoodie slung over her shoulder, Catra enters the small, unassuming office tucked away at the corner of Sherman and Randolph. 

The office is an explosion of boxes and paperwork, elastic bands, medical tape, and unorganized physical therapy equipment. It will take a few weeks of unpacking before Adora is able to take clients.

Scorpia sees Catra first and twitches in place. Catra presses a finger to her lips and gives Scorpia a threatening _play-it-cool_ look from across the room as she sneaks up on Adora from behind.

“Hey dummy, wanna marry me?” Catra hooks an arm around Adora’s stomach. Her hand wanders a bit too much to be appropriate, but Scorpia has seen worse from them anyway.

“Well, duh,” Adora sighs as Catra hands her the hoodie, tail lashing as she waits for a reaction. Adora admires the gift, rubbing her fingers to feel the texture as she traces along red-striped design branching off the shoulder of the hoodie. “I love it so much.” She flips the hoodie to reveal it’s back where branded in white lettering spells out: 

_Property of Catra_

“Catra…” Adora sighs.

“What? It’s so everyone knows that you’re mine now, idiot. _My_ idiot.”

Adora wriggles out of her hug and just laughs while she throws the hoodie on over her head, over her work shirt, horribly mismatched with khakis.

“All yours. But it’s not like everyone didn’t know that already.”

Adora kisses her.

They’ll know. Everyone will know.

Adora will always be her idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!!! catra and adora found an outlet for their games :D 
> 
> *bonk*
> 
> This fic was super fun and cathartic to write. thanks to all who embarked on this journey and made it to the end :) 
> 
> Thank you @FBiosca and Emma for making the amazing art from a scene in chapter 8 :) i am so touched, truly <3 i have added it to the end of chapter 8 if people want to view it :) 
> 
> I recently finished an outline for a Fantasy AU with MonsterHunter!Adora & Sorceress!Catra AU (Loosely inspired by witcher) so keep your eyes peeled for that or subscribe if that seems like your jam. E-rated but certainly not for everyone lol
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/lifeisgay69) and [tumblr](https://lifeisgay69.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to @BisexualTrashFire for beta-reading <3 <3 <3 if there are typos pls blame her!!! ;) jk don't
> 
> and feel free to leave a comment i reply to all of them :)


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